Fallen Stars
by FallenStar715
Summary: Crystal Tokyo is enjoying nearly a millennia of true peace, a peace that is about to be shattered by an enemy unlike anything the Senshi have ever faced before. The Queen watches as her city and the world around her falls apart .. Only she has the power t
1. Part One - Chapter 1

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**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko  
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.  
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and  
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**  
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Fallen Stars  
by  
Lady Archanna & Archmage  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Part I  
Chapter 1  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The world spun slowly, revolving beneath its cloak of clouds in a green  
and blue orb of soft light. The glow faded slowly into utter darkness,   
two red eyes the only other light in the emptiness. Dark robes hissed,   
darker than the obsidian void around them, as the mind behind those glowing   
eyes contemplated the floating globe with the covetous look of a man   
examining a jewel he wishes to steal. A flicker of gold rose as amber eyes   
drank in the image, scrutinizing the bluish orb.  
  
"Doesn't look like much." The voice from behind him was skeptical but   
tinted with a guarded curiosity  
  
Soft laughter, dark with promise and power, reverberated through the   
chamber. "It's an interesting little world. Was nothing to speak of   
until about five hundred years ago. Since then, though, it's become   
very interesting indeed." A slow parade of images danced across the   
veil of darkness; art galleries, a great crystal city, a regal young   
woman with flowing silver hair.   
  
Gold eyes focused on the images, sparkling with wonder. As the picture   
of the queen appeared, however, the eyes narrowed and darkened. "Quite   
beautiful. But it all looks so frail, so easily crushed."  
  
Another laugh filled the void, soft as a viper's hiss, "She's strong   
enough, but naive. She has never been truly tested, forced to make the   
hardest decisions of a ruler." A soft chuckle lingered in the air as red   
eyes focused intently on the queen. "I think perhaps it is time for that   
to change." A gloved hand rose, covering the globe so only a few scattered   
fractions of its light escaped. "Time, indeed."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Pluto's head was spinning, the screams of the dying echoing in her ears and   
the Time Key clasped tightly in her hands as she tried to gather her senses.   
Her eyes narrowed, silently cursing the mists that filled her dimension. This   
was not the place for this fight.  
  
Something slid beneath the roiling mass, sending a milky white cloud of mist   
billowing upward. A dark form shifted behind the curtain of gray, hidden just   
out of sight behind the protective shroud.  
  
Pluto whirled around blindly, trying to face her assailant. Her heart was   
pounding, but she refused to let her fear control her. "Show yourself, you   
coward!"   
  
For a moment, the only answer she received was more shifting of shadows.   
Then a blast of negative energy flew at her side, coming in hard and at   
the edges of her vision. "Damn you!" Pluto cursed as she launched herself   
out of the attack's path and felt it graze her side. The impact jolted through   
her, sending burning waves of pain through her already battered body. She   
winced as she came down hard, her leg screaming in protest from another wound.   
"Dead Scream!" she called, her gaze focused on the outline of her still unknown   
enemy. The attack ripped through the fog, striking nothing but empty air as it   
hurled into the oblivion of the Time Gate. A low growl of laughter rose around   
her, vibrating in her bones.   
  
The sound sent chills down the stoic senshi's spine as she felt the claws of   
fear slowly taking hold. 'What in the name of Chronos ..!' Pluto turned herself   
in a tight circle, trying desperately to locate the target. She cursed the realm   
about her with every breath, betrayal written in her eyes. 'This is my dimension,   
my place, I am NOT supposed to be at a disadvantage!'  
  
"You have intruded upon the sanctity of the Time Gate. None shall enter here and   
be allowed to live. I, the Senshi of Time will not allow it!" Pluto stood with   
her staff in front of her, her voice booming in the endless space that surrounded   
her. She could feel the power of the Time Gate behind her, and she drew on that   
strength so that she might defend it.   
  
Another burst of dark energy erupted from the mists, this time to her left,   
crackling at her with blistering speed. As she moved to dodge, something   
coalesced out of the mists on her right. All she had time to see were flashes   
of claws, darkness and flaming eyes. Too close, too fast. No way to get away in   
time. Then something hissed over her head, slashing into the youma's chest,   
throwing it backward. At the same moment, Pluto felt herself flung to the ground,   
hitting with a surprised cry as her head crashed into the unforgiving ground.   
Bright lights erupted behind her eyes, taking over her vision as waves of pain   
washed through her. As the Time Key slipped from weakened fingers she watched   
with blurred vision as someone spun into mortal combat with the youma.  
  
Cut, slash, parry and thrust. Roars of anger and the silent hissing of a pair   
of long blades cleaving air filled her ears. Flashes of silver light and blood   
red eyes seeped through the haze as a black figure spun and twisted before the   
creature, moving just ahead of the flashing and deadly claws with a double-bladed   
glaive spinning in his hands. The man who called himself Wraith smiled, the look   
of a predator. "Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to pick on women, scum?"   
  
'I'm a senshi, you idiot!' Pluto corrected silently, her fingers searching out   
and closing around the familiar solidity of her staff. Pulling herself to her   
knees, Pluto watched in horror as Wraith kept at the beast with deadly precision.   
Her mind screamed for her to react, to do something, but her body said otherwise.   
Days of non-stop battling and her more recent injuries care of the youma that now   
danced before Wraith's blows slowed her down. She needed a moment to gather her   
strength, to call upon the Time Gate and her orb to give her the power she needed.   
The youma hissed in pain, the cuts digging into its chest. Wraith danced back,   
knowing that he was easily outmatched but playing for time. His eyes flickered   
over to the senshi of time, on her knees, leaning against her rod. 'Just a few   
more minutes...' But for once, time was not on his side.  
  
The creature drew back, eyes narrowing and let loose with a blast of dark energy   
that threw the black-haired man to the ground, dark cloak swirling about him as   
he fell. Wraith was up and moving before the cloth had time to settle upon the   
floor, his hand reaching for his fallen glaive as the double blade winked in the   
diffused light. Another heartbeat and he would have been ready, another second,   
but that time was a luxury he did not have. The youma let out a bellow of triumph   
and slammed him to the ground with a blow that shattered half the knight's ribs   
and cleanly broke the rest. Agony pulsed through him, but he held himself together   
as the wounds began to knit. 'Quick healing does its job, but GODS that hurt!' he   
cursed silently, another moment needed before he would be able to act.   
  
The half-second his body needed, however, was far too long. The youma let out a   
blood-curdling laugh and a massive burst of black energy was sent hammering into   
the fallen Knight. Gray eyes went wide and then vanished as the energy blast blew   
a crater several feet deep in the ground. Wraith was gone, incinerated utterly in   
a single blast of pure negative energy.  
  
"NO!" Pluto screamed, her eyes going wide as the Knight dissolved into nothingness;   
at the same time the world around her was suddenly sent spinning, whirling about.   
When it came to a stop, her vision was filled with the soft glow of moonlight.   
  
Setsuna sat up with a cry of alarm, her chest heaving and her body covered in sweat.   
Magenta eyes darted around the room, trying to focus on something familiar and safe,   
her mind still gripped in the terror of the dream.  
  
"Not a dream," she croaked, her voice trembling with emotion. Her hands clutched   
at the sheets as she struggled to get herself back under control. She drew her   
knees up, and wrapped her arms around her legs, trying to fight back the tears   
that formed in her eyes, old memories bringing back a wealth of pain. The raw   
anguish she had felt at that moment was still as fresh in her mind now, more   
than two millennia later. She remembered calling upon the power of her orb   
and vaporizing that youma where it stood. She remembered walking over to the   
crater the blast had left, her legs shaking beneath her as she lowered herself   
to the ground. She could remember the horrible pain that coursed through her as   
the reality of what had happened crashed upon her.  
  
He was dead, gone. Even as the senshi of time, even with the power to stop the   
thing which she guarded, she wasn't able to save him. It had all happened too   
fast, and with no warning. Setsuna shook her head, the salty taste of her tears   
jolting her back to the present.  
  
It was no longer the Silver Millennia. Outside her window was not the Moon   
Palace burning to the ground in a pile of ashes as Negaverse generals blasted   
all that had been established to kingdom come. No, what her eyes found outside   
the glass was the shimmering facade of a crystal city, a grand crystal palace   
basking in the loving light of the moon.  
  
There were no screams, just as there was no smoke and no danger. Out there was   
a peace that the Senshi had fought to uphold for longer than she cared to remember.   
Now Crystal Tokyo flourished with vitality and happiness under the gentle rule of   
Neo-Queen Serenity. Its people lived their lives in a peace that seemed at times   
so frail and delicate to the time senshi.   
  
Having a life span that stretched across all time, one saw many things. She'd   
seen this peace before, on the Moon. She'd also seen how easily it could be   
shattered. With a sigh, Setsuna swung her legs off the bed and stood, walking   
over to the window. Placing one palm against the cool glass she drank in the   
image before her, praying with all her heart that it would remain as it was   
now at that moment.   
  
'Things do change, my love.' The ghostly whisper sent chills down Setsuna's   
spine as she turned to see who had spoken. Her eyes fell upon nothing more   
than her empty bed and empty room. She was not sure which had spooked her   
more, the words or the voice, both of which rang with a sense of familiarity   
in her mind. With one final glance at the city, Setsuna turned from the window   
and grabbed her robe from where it lay on a chair. Knowing that sleep had   
deserted her for the remainder of the night she decided to drown herself in   
the peace of the palace library. Perhaps by the light of day things would   
look better.   
  
"Then again, maybe not," she muttered, closing her bedroom door behind her   
and walking down the dimly lit hallway.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Setsuna smoothed the front of her gown, green hair swirling behind her as   
she made her way toward the ballroom. The soft sounds of music drifted to   
her ears, the air crackling with excitement. Stepping through the double   
doors, nodding at the palace guards that greeted her, Setsuna felt a smile   
creep onto her lips. If there was one thing the Lady Venus was good at, it   
was throwing a party. The room sparkled, thousands of tiny lights decorating   
the walls and beautiful crystal sculptures glittering in the light. The room   
was filled to the brim with every type of flower imaginable, the air heavy   
with their delicate fragrances.  
  
Magenta eyes scanned the crowd, finally falling upon the face of the Queen.   
Making her way through the mass of people she approached Serenity, noting   
how tightly she clung to her husband's arm. Endymion smiled at Setsuna as   
she came up, resplendent in his dark violet tuxedo. "Evening, Lady Pluto.   
How are you?"  
  
"I'm doing well," Setsuna smiled at the King, her eyes slipping to the   
beaming face of the Queen beside him. "How could I be anything less on   
such a wondrous occasion?"  
  
A soft laugh and a brilliant smile lit Endymion face. "It is that, true,   
but the guest of honor has yet to arrive."  
  
Setsuna looked at Endymion and then around the room, "Small Lady isn't here   
yet?" Setsuna looked at them with mild concern. It was unlike the Princess   
to be late, especially for such and important function.  
  
"Announcing the Lord and Lady Mars!" The herald's voice diverted Setsuna's   
attention as it rang out across the room. All eyes turned toward the door   
as Rei walked in with her husband on her arm, shimmering raven hair and red   
gown sparkling under the lights. Lord Nathan smiled, looking over the crowd   
before smiling down at his wife. His red and gold armor gleamed, the red   
ceremonial baldric he wore over it catching the lights and shining in the   
same hue as his wife's dress. Short brown hair and sparkling green eyes   
stood out sharply next to the darker features of his wife. His five foot   
ten height seemed oddly matched to his broad and solid build, giving the   
impression of massive strength out of proportion to his size. Rei's slim   
elegance seemed to be overshadowed by his frame, but her beauty made up   
for what she lacked in size. They seemed as different as night and day,   
but somehow the match seemed more than appropriate.  
  
"And what are you looking at?" Rei asked, violet eyes capturing Nathan's   
emerald gaze as they descended the stairs.  
  
"The sexy women, of course."  
  
Rei's eyes flashed, eyebrows raised. "Oh, really? See anything that   
catches your interest?" Her voice was calm, her smile still firm upon   
her lips.  
  
Green eyes sparkled mischievously as they raked up and down the length of   
her red gown. "No, nothing to compare with that, but one must keep looking."   
Grinning broadly, Nathan led his wife down to the dance floor.  
  
"You can look all you like, my love." Rei reached up and gently rested her   
hand against his face. "But I can assure you that you won't find what you're   
looking for out there." Rei's eyes shone with amusement.  
  
Nathan's smile widened as he gathered her against him and kissed her firmly.   
When his voice spoke in her mind, it was warm with love and laughter. 'Probably   
not, but considering I have it right here, it doesn't really matter.'  
  
Endymion smiled as his friend pulled Rei up into the kiss. "He never does get   
tired of being the comedian."  
  
"It's a good thing she loves him," Serenity laughed, watching as Rei pulled   
away with her face slightly flushed. "Otherwise he would have been torched   
long ago."  
  
The King smiled down at his wife, "Oh, I don't know, he seems to manage her   
pretty well."  
  
Once again the herald's voice cut through the crowd, "The Lord and Lady   
Jupiter!" The doors swung open again and a tall, well-muscled man with the   
body of a weight lifter and a face set in permanent lines of displeasure   
stepped into the room. Green and silver armor flashed regally, and Makoto   
shone beautifully on his arm. The off the shoulder green sheath hugging   
her form perfectly, auburn locks tumbling freely down her back.  
  
Endymion shook his head, suppressing a grin, "Poor Rod! He never does   
seem to relax."  
  
Makoto's eyes fell upon her friends and she raised her hand to greet them,   
green eyes shining in sharp contrast to her lover's steely brown gaze. With   
his arm clasped tightly in hers she led him down the steps toward Rei and   
Nathan.   
  
"You could at least try to relax a little, dear. This is a party," Makoto   
whispered, smiling at him.  
  
Lord Jupiter shrugged, a small and abbreviated gesture. "I'm not tense,   
really."  
  
Makoto rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Sure you're not, Rod. Sure you're   
not." Smiling, she squeezed his hand lightly as they came up to their friends.   
  
"Hi, Rei!" The brunette released her husband's arm, sure he wouldn't bolt for   
the door, and warmly embraced her long time friend. "It seems like ages since   
we've seen you both."  
  
"It's only been a few weeks," Rei laughed as the two women pulled apart.   
"Hello Rod, nice to see you." She smiled brightly at the red-haired man.  
  
Rod Celeste gave her a quick bow, dark brown eyes tight with tension despite   
his broad smile. "Lady Mars."  
  
The herald spoke again, interrupting the remark poised on Rei's lips. "The   
Lord and Lady Venus."   
  
Minako entered the room dressed in a shimmering golden gown that sent   
rainbows dancing through the air. She shone like a jewel, her blue eyes   
sparkling with excitement. On her arm an elegant and rakishly attractive   
man in a long gold cape smiled at the crowd, taking the sudden cheers in   
stride. Nathan snorted as the blonde man bowed slightly. "Sol never was   
one to pass up a chance at the spotlight."  
  
"Nate!" Rei's voice rose in mild annoyance. "Be nice. It's not his fault   
he's adored." She suppressed a laugh, noting that Minako didn't seem to   
be minding the attention one bit. In fact, if she knew the Lady Venus at   
all, Rei could guarantee she was basking in it and soaking it up like   
sunlight.  
  
Nathan smirked. "Yes, love."  
  
Sol Carver swept down the steps, his wife by his side, and flashed the   
group a dazzling smile. "Evening, all."  
  
"Hello everyone!" Minako's voice brimmed with excitement as she embraced   
her friends, first Makoto, then Rei. She smiled as she took in the room   
about her, proud that things had turned out so perfectly. After all,   
Serenity and Chibi-Usa deserved nothing less than the best.  
  
Nathan grinned at her bubbling excitement, and even Rod cracked a genuine   
smile. You could always count on Minako for enthusiasm. "Minako, you truly   
outdid yourself this year," Rei commented, knowing how much work the blonde   
had put into planning this event.  
  
"It was the least I could do," Minako beamed, her eyes scanning the room for   
familiar faces. She let out a small cry of delight when she saw Serenity,   
standing out like a shining star against the sea of people, her face filled   
with joy. Minako hugged Sol's arm tightly, using him to keep her anchored in   
reality. She was, after all, a Lady and a guardian of the city. It would not   
do to have her act like a giddy schoolgirl in the center of such an expansive   
crowd.  
  
The herald spoke again, hesitant. An obvious new arrival, he'd never encountered   
the linguistic problem now confronting him. "The Lord and Lady ... Excuse me.   
The Ladies Neptune and Uranus."  
  
Nathan covered a snort, trying not to burst into laughter as the two women   
entered arm in arm. "He's new, but he covered well."  
  
It was clear from the smug expression on Haruka's face that she'd taken it   
upon herself to remedy the herald's confusion. Smiling down at the elegant   
form of Michiru, clad in a turquoise sheath that shimmered like the calm   
ocean, she hugged her lover closer. "Lord my a-"  
  
"Haruka!" Michiru squeezed the blonde's arm warningly, sea green eyes focusing   
on hazel ones and the mock look of innocence she received bringing a smile to   
Michiru's lips. She felt sorry for the young man. There was no way he could   
have known that Haruka was anything but a Lord, clad as she was in a regal   
navy tuxedo. They made quite a couple walking down the stairs and across the   
dance floor, Michiru's feminine elegance against Haruka's brash attitude.  
  
Nathan shook his head, trying not to stare. "I have just one thing to say:   
I pity all the poor men those two have deprived of each other's company."   
From the expressions of the various young male guests around the room, he   
was entirely too accurate.  
  
"What was that, Nathan?" Haruka asked, cocking an eyebrow as she and Michiru   
joined the now growing group. She then grinned, bowing to them. "Its nice to   
see all of you gentlemen again." Hazel eyes peered mischievously from beneath   
blonde bangs. "And of course it's always a pleasure to see such lovely ladies."  
  
Nathan eyed her with mock fear, dramatically moving between her and Rei. "Of   
course."  
  
Michiru laughed softly, shaking her head. "Don't mind her. A month of   
diplomatic meetings tends to do strange things to her."  
  
Sol raised an eyebrow. "Dare I ask how many of the other delegates survived?"  
  
Haruka laughed. "All of them, I'm sorry to say." She grinned at Michiru.   
"Someone wouldn't allow me to take my sword along for when things got   
complicated."  
  
Nathan, straight-faced, turned to look at Rei. "Typical. I wanted to take   
my spear to the defense hearing last week, but no...."  
  
"Nate!" Rei gasped, pushing in front of her now grinning husband and giving   
him a warning look. "Weapons are not the best way to instill a sense of   
security in others." She turned her eyes back to the two women. "It is nice   
to have you back though."  
  
Nate grinned broadly, opening his mouth to speak, but the herald drowned out   
his words. "Announcing the Lady Mercury and the Lady Saturn!" A pause.   
"Unfortunately, Lord Mercury sends his regards and indicates that he was   
unavoidably detained."  
  
Nathan snorted. "By his studies, I'm sure. That man is the most obsessive   
student I've ever met." As he spoke, the two women entered separately, Ami   
in her long aquamarine velvet gown and Hotaru in her more somber black velvet   
dress.   
  
Nathan smiled slightly as he noticed every young man focusing on the younger   
of the two Senshi. "Poor Hotaru. Wonder how many suitors she'll be fighting   
off tonight?"  
  
Sol shrugged. "She could at least dance with a couple to be polite."  
  
Rod shook his head. "I've never understood why Sets doesn't get that kind of   
swarm. I mean, she's equally unattached." His brown eyes caught a glimpse of   
the green-haired woman where she stood beside the King and Queen, and even he   
could appreciate her mature beauty and mysterious features.   
  
"Can you imagine anyone propositioning Setsuna?" Nathan snorted, recalling to   
mind the Time Senshi's serious demeanor and biting sarcasm.  
  
Rod winced, remembering the couple of times he'd been on the wrong side of   
Setsuna's temper. "Point."  
  
"Ami! Hotaru! Over here!" Minako called out to her friends, raising her hand   
in the air so the two could spot their little group.  
  
Together Ami and Hotaru moved through the mass of people, soon joining up   
with the others. Immediately Hotaru was embraced first by Haruka then by   
Michiru, both looking down on the young woman with the loving gaze of proud   
parents.  
  
Ami smiled and greeted the other Senshi, nodding at the Knights in turn, her   
blue eyes as serious as ever. "I'm sorry we're late, everyone." Ami apologized,   
her voice soft. "Both Hotaru and I were down in the lab and lost track of time."  
  
"Ami!" Makoto laughed, putting her arm around the blue-haired woman's shoulders.   
"As long as you made it, that's all that matters."  
  
Nathan grinned. "Well, you might have stopped to dig your husband out of his   
library on your way. It's still good to see you anyway, Ami."  
  
Rei glared at Nathan. "You'll have to pardon my husband, he seems to have taken   
temporary leave of his senses tonight."  
  
Nathan smiled broadly. "Temporary?" It was all the other women could do to   
suppress the laughter that rose as Rei's face turned an interesting shade   
of red.  
  
"It's okay, really, Rei." Ami smiled, shaking her head. "Although I doubt   
even I would have been able to drag him away tonight. He'll come when he's   
ready."  
  
Rei smiled at her friend and then turned her fiery gaze to Nathan. "Remind   
me again why I put up with you?" she whispered, her eyes narrowing.  
  
Nathan smiled crookedly, "Because, for some odd reason, you appear to love   
me." An exaggerated shrug. "Other than that, no idea."  
  
Minako and Makoto both burst out laughing at the same moment, ignoring the   
biting glare Rei sent their way. "You two are so cute together!" Minako   
laughed, winking at Rei.  
  
Rod broke into an undisguised grin, "Indisputably."  
  
"I could do without your comments, Minako!" Rei glared at the blonde, her   
face reddening. Then she turned her gaze to Rod and burst out laughing,   
seeing the ridiculous grin on his face. "Why do I put up with you people?"   
Rei shook her head and smiled, throwing her arms up in the air.  
  
Sol shrugged, grinning, "No clue."  
  
Rod matched him, straight-faced, "None."  
  
Nate shrugged, playing off his friends. "Truth be told Rei, I don't know why   
you put up with us either."  
  
"You!" Rei turned fiery violet eyes to Nathan, an evil smile on her ruby lips.   
"I know why I put up with them." Her voice was sweet as sugar as she pointed   
toward the still giggling Senshi. "But you? You're going to have to remind me   
later why I don't torch you on the spot."  
  
Nathan gave a rather mischievous grin. "Now there's something for motivation."  
  
Hotaru shook her head, smiling at Rei and Nathan's little love spat, but her mind   
was focused on something more important. Since her arrival she had yet to see any   
sign of Chibi-Usa. Silently pulling away from the laughing group, Hotaru's eyes   
scanned the room, a flash of pink and a closing door catching her attention.  
  
Hotaru pushed her way through the sea of bodies, approaching the door swiftly   
and then opening it quickly to step into the dimly lit chamber beyond. "Hello,   
Chibi-Usa," she said, closing the door with a soft click behind her. Chibi-Usa   
smiled back at Hotaru, her hands playing nervously with her hair. She looked   
beautiful in her pale pink gown, a silver necklace sparkling in the soft light.   
Her appearance seemed so regal and adult, but she looked at her friend with the   
uncertainty of a teenager.  
  
"Did anyone see you come in here?" Chibi-Usa asked, stepping past her friend and   
cracking the door open to peer out at the massive crowd.  
  
Hotaru laughed, putting her hand reassuringly on the Princess's shoulder. "I don't   
think so, but I think they may eventually notice you're missing. Don't you think?"   
Hotaru smiled warmly, knowing how much Chibi-Usa detested this type of event.  
  
Chibi-Usa pushed the door closed and moved to lean against the wall. "I suppose   
they will. Doesn't mean I want to go out there, though." She leaned her head back,   
closing her eyes. "But then again, what I want doesn't matter, does it?"  
  
Hotaru was taken aback by the Princess's serious tone and immediately knew that   
something more serious than a fear of facing a crowd was bothering her friend.   
"Chibi-Usa, this event is being held in your honor. It's not meant as a punishment.   
What's wrong? Why are you so upset?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong," The pink-haired girl opened her eyes and smiled weakly at Hotaru.   
"I'm just nervous, that's all." Chibi-Usa moved away from the wall, grabbing Hotaru's   
hand in hers. "Will you at least come out with me? I don't want to have to make my   
entrance alone."  
  
Hotaru smiled, seeing in the red eyes looking back into hers that something still   
troubled the young woman. For now, she decided not to press the issue. "Of course   
I will!" With that the two girls opened the door and slid out onto the crowded   
dance floor, sticking close to the wall.   
  
Endymion broke into a smile as his daughter and Hotaru entered from the side,   
obviously trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves. His smile widened   
and a raised hand silenced the band. Stepping onto the raised dais on which   
the thrones rested, he spoke loudly enough to be heard over the murmur of the   
crowd. "May I have your attention, Ladies and Gentlemen!" As the crowd turned   
to him and the low hum of voices silenced itself, the King's eyes sparkled with   
laughter. "If you'll all step through the gate over there, we have arranged a   
bit of a surprise for all of you on the lawn. Once you're outside, please   
promptly take a seat."  
  
A low murmuring rose from the crowd as they all moved to obey the King's   
instructions. The guests poured out of the ballroom, gasps of surprise and   
cries of surprise rising as they realized they were entering an amphitheater   
that had not been there a few days ago. It was clear from the surprised looks   
on even the Senshi's faces that no one had been privy to this surprise save   
the King.  
  
"What did they do now?" Chibi-Usa groaned as she and Hotaru lingered toward   
the back of the crowd, being two of the last to exit onto the lawn. Red eyes  
widened as they took in the massive theater. She squeezed Hotaru's hand   
tightly, seeing the large mass of people seated and the Senshi taking their   
seats up at the front with her parents.  
  
As Endymion and Serenity took their seats near the Senshi and the Lords, his   
eyes glinted mischievously and his face looked as though it strained not to   
break into a smile. Spotting his daughter and her friend hanging toward the   
back of the audience, he waved them over to their seats and then once again   
raised his hand, signaling for silence as he addressed his guests. "Settle   
back and enjoy the birthday celebration for our Princess." As he sat back   
down, the lamps in the theater began to die in a steady cascade of fading   
light.  
  
Chibi-Usa would have liked nothing more than to crawl into a hole, but being   
the Princess she had to put on a smile and dazzle the crowd as her parents   
always did. Finally releasing Hotaru's hand when they neared their seats,   
Chibi-Usa slid into her chair beside the Queen. "I'm sorry I'm late, I got   
held up." Chibi-Usa smiled at her mother, her voice apologetic.  
  
"It's quite all right, dear." Serenity smiled at her daughter, taking her   
hand. "I'm just glad you got here." Endymion smiled over at his daughter,   
seeing her safe in her spot.   
  
The music began. It started slow, a single gentle piano holding a soft melody.   
Then a violin rose, adding its soothing voice to the melody, and above the stage   
stars began to dance. As the hum of a guitar joined the other instruments, a   
shimmering vision of the Moon lifted from the stage.  
  
Serenity's hand moved to her mouth, her eyes gleaming with tears as it became   
clear that this was not the Moon as it was now. This was the Moon as it had been   
in the Silver Millennium, the great Moon Kingdom springing to life once again in   
shimmering images. Queen Serenity, the young golden haired Princess, the Royal   
Court. A hundred thousand images of peace and prosperity danced across the night   
sky. The faces of the guests held a sense of wonderment as they watched legends   
come to life. To the Senshi, however, this was more than the realization of some   
fantasy. These were their memories, still as bittersweet and clear as ever.  
  
A slow and rhythmic electric bass line rose in a steady counterpoint to the   
higher melody of the guitars. Into the illusionary court strode a young man   
and his entourage, the black and sliver of his armor sparkling in sharp contrast   
to the delicate rose he twisted in his fingers as his eyes fell upon the young   
Princess Serenity. For a moment the music stopped as the souls of the young   
lovers touched for the very first time, and out of the silence rose a soft   
melody, the melody of a locket that had played over decades and millennia,   
the locket that even now rested in the royal bedchambers. Endymion's eyes   
filled with tears that were quickly wiped away and Serenity's hand found   
his in the darkness, holding it tightly. Even the stoic Lady Pluto felt   
tears well up in her eyes as the young Prince and Princess spoke and danced   
and became one, the high melody and the low bass keeping time with the song   
of the locket. Chibi-Usa was totally lost in the moment, her attention focused   
on the dancing forms. She leaned forward in her chair, allowing the familiar   
lullaby of the locket wrap her in its warmth. Then her breath caught in her   
throat as a low brass growl challenging the delicate sounds of the locket.  
  
Gasps rose as a shadow spread across the earth like a stain. The delicate   
sound of the locket held, but the brass lines shivered, almost blotting out   
the soft undertones of the locket as the darkness swallowed the earth and   
reached menacingly toward the moon. On the crest of that wave came Beryl   
and the Dark Generals and monsters of unspeakable power, and the music   
shuddered with struggle as the Moon Kingdom burned. Violet eyes snapped   
shut as the silhouette of the young prince and princess hung lifelessly   
in the air. A green handkerchief rose to dry emerald eyes as one by one   
the Royal Court fell. A blonde head buried itself against the softness   
of a golden cape as the Queen cried for all she had lost. A pale finger   
brushed soft blue hair back nervously as the Queen stood.  
  
The Queen raised her hand and light blazed forth, and once again silence   
returned. The earth and the moon hung silently, cleansed of the darkness.   
One was dead, the brilliant light dimmed, but the other one lived on,   
still vibrant with life. Into the silence that followed the melody of   
the moon rose again softly, and new images came. A young woman in meatballs   
racing to meet her friends. A young man mourning his parents and studying   
for exams. Slowly the music rose again, the gentle tones of the guitars   
calling and the song of the violins answering. The music seemed to dance   
in the air, the magic softly returning. Then the low brass came again,   
soft at first but growing quickly in intensity. Dark ones came again and   
images of more battles arose. Images of struggle and deep, soul shattering   
loss and finally of redemption and victory. And a great light came to life,   
spreading over the earth, and the melody grew strong once again.   
  
A child was born and grew, a pink-haired young woman with the seriousness of   
her father and the sparkling eyes of her mother. Then a final look at a   
darkened theater filled with people and at last the Moon and the Earth danced   
again, the music fading away until only the soft piano remained.   
And then ... silence.  
  
In that silence and darkness a spotlight suddenly snapped on, focusing on a   
woman dressed in an aquamarine gown. Blue eyes widened under the light, and   
around her friends reveled in her obvious joy and complete surprise. A soft,   
refined voice spoke into the silence. "Would you all please offer your   
congratulation to the Lady Mercury on the anniversary of her engagement?"  
  
Another soft light illuminated the smiling man whose shimmering blue robes   
swirled around him as he stood on the balcony, all eyes focused on him. Ami   
felt her face redden as applause rose from the audience. Her eyes fell to   
the floor, her hands clasped tightly on her lap. She heard warm congratulations   
being issued by her friends, and she could feel Lord Mercury's eyes on her.   
That gaze sent chills up and down her spine; it always did. The man descended   
the stairs from the balcony with graceful ease, smiling as he made his way to   
the front of the auditorium. "Evening, love," he whispered softly.  
  
When Ami's eyes lifted to meet his icy blue gaze, tears shimmered in her eyes.   
Looking up at him, seeing the way he looked at her, her discomfort melted away   
like snow on a summer day. A smile spread across her face. "So, this is what's   
kept you so busy lately?"  
  
Alexis smiled, his eyes shining. "Well, someone had to run all the pretty lights."  
  
Ami laughed, a soft, sweet sound. "You did much more than hang lights, dear."   
She stood, wrapping her arms around his neck. "That was the most beautiful thing   
I've seen in ages."  
  
"We do aim to please," Alexis smirked, looking out at the audience. In a fluid   
movement he raised Ami so she was facing the crowd, one hand on the small of her   
back and the other raised in the air as his voice rose once more. "To the Lady   
Mercury!"  
  
"Alex!" Ami hissed, her face burning as cheers once again rose from the crowd.   
Tensing, she snaked her arm around his, holding it tightly, nervously nodding   
toward the happy onlookers.  
  
With a mischievous grin, Alex swept his wife into his arms. "Oh, the festivities   
are just starting. But we, my Lady, are going to make ourselves scarce." To the   
delight of the crowd, Alexis carried Ami back up the steps and onto the balcony,   
pausing there to look back out over the crowd.  
  
"Have fun Ami!" Minako laughed, waving at the wide-eyed ice senshi. She then   
turned an accusing look toward Sol. "When was the last time you did something   
this romantic?"  
  
Sol tapped his forehead in mock thought. "Um ... last month?"  
  
Minako winked. "Well, the I'd say you've been slacking, my Lord."  
  
Ami felt like she would die of embarrassment as she buried her face in Alexis'   
shoulder. "I can't believe this!" she whispered, shaking her head slightly.  
  
His eyes looked down at her, sparkling with promise. "Wave to the people,   
dearest. Then we can attend to other, more pleasurable matters."  
  
Makoto laughed as Ami gave them a small wave before she and Alexis disappeared   
from the balcony. Emerald eyes sparkled, the sheer magic of the night seeming   
like some sort of dream.   
  
Endymion cracked a smile, looking at Serenity. "I've never seen Ami blush like   
that before."  
  
Nathan grinned. "Wonder what the wedding festivities will be like."  
  
"I can only imagine!" Rei laughed, leaning her head on Nathan's arm. "I'm so   
happy for her."  
  
Serenity's eyes sparkled, her arms snaking around Endymion's back. "You're   
wonderful, you know that?"   
  
Endymion turned his head to look back at her, "I do try, love." Serenity   
gave him a light kiss on the cheek before being pulled away by several   
guests. Watching her for a moment, Endymion's eyes slipped back toward his   
daughter, looking for some sign of what she was feeling. Chibi-Usa sat   
stiffly in her chair, hands folded in her lap, eyes staring blankly forward.   
She'd enjoyed the show and the deep emotion and feeling behind it had not   
escaped her, but still a dark cloud hung over her head.  
  
"Small Lady?"   
  
Chibi-Usa's head snapped up at the sound of Setsuna's voice, her eyes meeting   
the magenta gaze of her long time confidant and friend. Forcing a small smile   
onto her lips Chibi-Usa spoke, her voice lacking the musical quality it normally   
held.  
  
"Puu, I'm so glad you made it."  
  
"I wouldn't have missed it, Small Lady." Setsuna replied, not showing the worry   
that sparked to life as she watched the Princess.  
  
Chibi-Usa stood, embracing the woman tightly. "Thank you for coming," she whispered,   
closing her eyes.  
  
"I've missed you," Setsuna replied, holding the girl close. Then her voice lowered   
so only the Princess could hear her words. "Is something bothering you, Small Lady?"  
  
Red eyes opened and Chibi-Usa pulled out of the time senshi's arms, stepping back.   
"No, of course not," she answered quickly as her eyes fell to the ground.  
  
"Princess?" Setsuna moved forward, a comforting hand on Chibi-Usa's shoulder.   
"It's okay if something is bothering you." The girl's eyes rose to meet Setsuna's,   
then they drifted past her to where the Queen stood in the center of a group of   
laughing people, sparkling as always.  
  
"No, it's not."  
  
Setsuna's gaze followed the Princess's, and she nodded in understanding. She was   
well aware of the friction that had recently arisen between the Queen and her   
daughter. One wanted to prepare her daughter for the life into which she was born,   
the other wanted nothing more than to stay out of the spotlight for just a little   
while longer. She gently pulled Chibi-Usa back into her arms, hugging her tightly.   
"It is okay."  
  
"No, it's not. This is a party, one must always put one's best face forward when at   
a function like this." Chibi-Usa sighed, her body shaking, her head buried against   
Setsuna's shoulder.  
  
"Small Lady…." Setsuna shook her head, remembering a Princess from a millennia ago   
crying the same tears. She just wished that Princess could remember what it felt   
like, what it was like to be scared of one's own destiny.  
  
Chibi-Usa took a deep breath, pulling away from Setsuna a small smile on her   
lips. "Thank you, Puu," she whispered, red eyes meeting magenta ones and seeing   
the understanding in them. Setsuna was about to say something else, when   
Chibi-Usa's attention was drawn away by her mother, motioning for the Princess   
to join her. With one final smile Chibi-Usa pulled away, moving to stand beside   
her mother. On her face was a smile and she lagged slightly as people greeted   
and congratulate her, but even across this distance Setsuna could see the discomfort   
in her eyes.   
  
Shaking her head, she allowed her gaze to travel across the crowd until her eyes   
fell on Hotaru, who was also watching the Princess with worry written in her dark   
eyes. Setsuna moved over to Hotaru sitting beside her, an arm going around her shoulder.  
  
"She'll be okay, Hotaru." Setsuna smiled softly. "She'll be okay."   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The guests had gathered in the ballroom once again, and as the band started playing   
a space opened in the center of the floor, the Princess standing in the center. As   
the brighter lights dimmed so that only the small, star-like lights shone down,   
Chibi-Usa seemed to sparkle with quiet radiance.  
  
A man in a dark purple tuxedo stepped into the circle, staff in hand and a smile   
hovering on his lips. The King's eyes found his daughter's, spotting the nervousness   
written on her face. "May I have this dance?" he asked as he bowed slightly.  
  
Chibi-Usa's heart was pounding in her chest as all eyes focused on her. Meeting her   
father's gaze, she momentarily forgot about the hundreds of others in the room and   
focused on the safety she saw in that blue gaze. "It would be my pleasure."  
  
The staff melted, replaced by a single pale pink rose which he held out to the   
Princess. As she took it, he placed his hand gently on her waist and pulled her   
toward him, slowly guiding her into the dance. "Are you well, daughter?" he asked,   
eyes focused down on her.  
  
Chibi-Usa's mind momentarily forgot about concentrating on making sure her steps   
kept time with the music and she looked up at the King. "I'm fine da- ... father."   
she answered quickly, her eyes breaking away from his  
  
"Are you really?" he asked again, his hand lifting her face so she was looking at   
him again.  
  
"I'm...." Chibi-Usa looked at him, and all she wanted to do was throw herself into   
his arms and cry. She wanted to disappear, but she couldn't. There was a voice in   
her mind that reminded her she was an adult now, and she must act like one. As a   
Princess she wasn't allowed to let her feelings affect how she presented herself   
to the people.  
  
"What do you say to the idea that after this dance we blow this joint?" Endymion   
smiled at the surprised look on Chibi-Usa's face at her father's use of slang from   
another time and the smile that played at the corners of her mouth.  
  
"You mean it?" she asked, her hand tightening around his.  
  
"Of course. After this dance you, me, your mother and the rest of our troupe has   
a small and very private reception planned."  
  
At the mention of all the others she tensed, biting her lip. "Are you sure it'll   
be okay?"  
  
Endymion smiled warmly. "Yes. It'll be just us. Titles will be checked at the   
door, just like old times."  
  
A genuine smile spread across the Princess's face, her eyes sparkling. "Thank   
you, daddy."  
  
As the music reached its climax Endymion gave a small nod, and suddenly the air   
was filled with thousands of glittering silver stars. Laughter rose from the   
audience as the confetti rained down on the crowd, the King and Princess still   
moving to the sound of the music. Chibi-Usa laughed, looking up as the silver   
sparkles began settling into her hair. It was as if the heavens were raining   
gently down upon them. She looked back at Endymion, smiling brightly.   
  
"Thank you, Daddy." she whispered, resting her head against his chest as their   
dance came to an end.  
  
Silver still fell from the air as Endymion pulled away, turning to address the   
crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy the remaining festivities. I'm afraid   
that the royal court will be taking our leave of you. Enjoy the rest of you   
evening, and as always, drinks are on the house." Endymion nodded toward the   
Senshi, signaling the time for their exit had finally arrived.  
  
"Thank goodness!" Makoto sighed, setting her glass down on a nearby table.   
"See, I told you this wouldn't be that bad." she whispered to Rod as she led   
him across the dance floor and toward the exit. She loved parties, but these   
royal functions always tended to be too stuffy for her taste.  
  
"Thank god!" Rod smiled, relaxing slightly. "I don't know how much longer I   
would have lasted."  
  
Seeing Endymion's signal, Nathan downed the rest of his wine, setting down   
the empty glass and slipping his arm around Rei's waist. "Let's go, my Lady."  
  
Rei smiled, her eyes scanning the crowd for Minako and a sigh of frustration   
escaping her lips when she spotted the blonde. Both she and her husband were   
still blissfully entrenched in conversation with what looked to be a group of   
adoring men and women. "I'll catch up, Nathan. I have to go pull the Lady   
Venus away from her throng of admirers." Rei growled, stalking over to the   
laughing blonde. "I do hate to break this up, but the Lord and Lady Venus   
are needed elsewhere," Rei interrupted, putting her arm around Minako's shoulder   
and letting her fingers bite into the blonde's arm.  
  
"Of course." Minako blushed profusely as she grabbed Sol's arm. "We must be   
going. The King and Queen are waiting."  
  
"We mustn't be late." Sol smiled, bowing elegantly. "It was a pleasure, ladies."  
  
"And gentlemen!" Minako interjected, her fingers digging into Sol's arm as   
they pulled away from the group. "I'm sorry about that, Rei. Sol got carried   
away with entertaining the ladies."  
  
"And what about you?" Sol laughed, pulling his arm out of his wife's grasp   
and putting it gently around her shoulders.  
  
"I had to do something to keep myself busy while those women were fawning   
all over you. I can't help it that men flock to me!"  
  
Rei rolled her eyes. "Oh gods, you two! Stop arguing about who's more   
desirable and hurry up!" Nathan joined them, his arm going back around   
Rei as they exited the room.  
  
On the other side of the room Queen Serenity, Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna   
stood around the thrones and watched the others leave.  
  
"She looked beautiful out there," Michiru commented, smiling over at Serenity.   
"Even if she did seem somewhat uncomfortable."  
  
The queen nodded, her eyes watching Endymion and Chibi-Usa who stood waiting   
for her. "It was necessary, though. She has to get used to these things."  
  
Haruka snorted, "True, but I'm sure this isn't the way anyone expects to spend   
their eighteenth birthday. Princess or not." She put her arm around Michiru's   
waist. "What say we join them?"  
  
Michiru laughed and nodded as she and Haruka made their way toward the others,   
leaving Setsuna and Serenity alone. They watched as Hotaru joined the couple   
and together they made their exit. "Will you be joining us, Setsuna?" Serenity   
asked, noticing her friend's sudden distraction.  
  
"I'm afraid not right away, Queen." Setsuna answered, smiling softly at her.   
"I'm going to have to be late, since something else needs my attention."  
  
Serenity's brow knit in mild worry. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." Setsuna replied, shaking her head and still smiling. "I just have   
to take care of some things."  
  
Serenity sighed, knowing better than to press the time senshi for answers.   
"Very well, but I think Chibi-Usa will be disappointed."  
  
"Tell her I'll be there. I promise." Setsuna smiled warmly. "I'm just going   
to be late."  
  
"Of course, Sets." Serenity smiled and descended the stairs, joining up with   
her husband and daughter.  
  
Setsuna let out a small sigh and moved down the steps toward the door through   
which she'd entered earlier. Pausing in the doorway for a moment, she looked   
back and watched as the Senshi disappeared, their laughter reaching her ears.   
She wished she could be with them, but the Time Gate was calling to her.   
Stepping into the hall as the door closed softly behind her, Setsuna's eyes   
suddenly became very serious. As she made her way down the empty corridor,   
a staff slowly materialized in her hand and her gown faded away to reveal   
her Senshi fuku. A moment later, she was gone in a flash of light.  
  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Special thanks goes out to all those that have made this possible, including  
Soul for doing the first round of edits and helping with our sometimes horrendous  
spelling and typing skills, and Liz for doing the final round, making sure everything  
fits and correcting the little mistakes we'd never pick up.  
  
Fallen Stars has been a year in the making, hopefully it lives up to all expectations.  
Feel free to contact us with any praise, comments, moans, groans or suggestions.   
Feedback is a good thing. ^_^  
  
Email: fallen_star715@yahoo.com  
AIM sn: FallenStar715  



	2. Part One - Chapter 2

------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko  
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.  
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and  
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Fallen Stars  
by  
Lady Archanna & Archmage  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Part I  
Chapter 2  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Thick white mists swirled lazily, carefully protecting the secrets that they   
held. Stray sparks of lights and errant gusts that sent the milky white mass   
into billowing clouds were all that told of something beyond the shroud of   
white. Suddenly the air came alive, the mists parting as a space opened   
and a flash of fuchsia and silver heralded the intruder's arrival.   
  
Magenta eyes peered knowingly through the fog, green boots moving with certainty   
through the blinding mass as a garnet orb shone with an internal light; the   
Guardian's mind opened, searching for what had called her back to the Gate.   
A white-gloved hand reached out and rested upon the intricately carved face of   
the Gate, feeling, listening to what it was trying to tell her. The Key rested   
securely in her other hand, ready to defend the ground on which she stood   
within a moment's notice. She sighed and dropped her hand to her side, turning   
to face the swirling clouds; her eyes narrowed as the feeling of something being   
out of place grew stronger with each passing moment. She could hear the Gate   
whispering to her softly, but she could not make out the words of the warning.   
Pluto stiffened, feeling a prickling sensation at the base of her neck; the   
feeling of unseen eyes focused upon her was overwhelming.  
  
Darkness shifted, the shadows of the realm seeming to crawl with an almost living   
intent as they coiled and uncoiled about the base of the Gate. Pluto's eyes shifted   
downward, the sudden movement at her feet causing her grip on the Time Key to tighten.   
Stepping backward while remaining within reach of the Gate, she watched and waited   
silently.  
  
The shadows shifted again, crawling upward into the air for a brief moment and then   
subsiding, leaving the integrity of the Gate as it had been before. Or rather, almost   
as it had been before. A dark figure cloaked in black and leaning upon a long,   
double-ended glaive now stood silently before the Gate, pale face set in a slight   
smile as gray eyes looked out from behind a stray lock of black hair and focused   
on the Time Senshi. With the sudden surge of shadows came a billowing of the mists,   
distorting images and thickening the veil over the Gate. Pluto cursed silently, her   
eyes widening as she caught a glimpse of shimmering silver. The Time Key was up   
instantly, arching toward the shadowy form with deadly intent. She would ask questions   
later. Right now the safety of the time stream was in jeopardy. The man stood silent,   
waiting eyes locked on Setsuna's as she turned and raised her weapon. "Hello, Sets."  
  
The Time Key fell toward the intruder with accuracy born of millennia of practice   
before the words even registered in Pluto's mind. 'Sets?' Pluto's eyes widened,   
the sound of the voice hitting a familiar chord within her, but it was too late.   
She winced as her staff came in contact with the target.  
  
The glaive moved once, supernaturally fast, and caught the Time Key neatly between   
one set of long and short blades identical to the ones mounted on the other end of   
the black-wood staff. The man smiled, gently taking Pluto's weapon from between the   
blades and handing it back to her with a slight laugh. "You haven't gotten any slower   
to shoot first and then ask questions later, I see."  
  
The Time Senshi felt the blood drain from her face as familiar gray eyes glittered   
back at her. Setsuna stared in disbelief as her staff was taken from her hands,   
silently thanking the gods that her visitor's reflexes were every ounce as fast   
as her own. Magenta eyes met cool gray ones as she extended her hands to take   
back the Key, her mind trying to grasp the idea that what she was looking at   
had to be a ghost. "What in the name of Chronos?" she whispered, shaking her   
head slowly.  
  
The man who had once called himself Wraith smiled gently, eyes sparkling with   
golden flecks. "No, dear one. I'm not a ghost. At least, not anymore."  
  
Setsuna felt her heart stop and suddenly it was hard for her to catch her breath.   
"Mark?" she whispered, her voice shaking as she leaned against the Time Key and   
was suddenly afraid her legs would give out.  
  
The dark clad man walked forward slowly, the glaive dissipating from his hands   
as he reached out to embrace her. "Yes, Sets."  
  
Pluto stepped away, her back meeting with the cold stone of the Gate. She felt   
trapped as she found herself falling into the depths of eyes she'd lost herself   
in countless times. Eyes she'd believed she'd never be able to see again. "It   
can't be."  
  
Mark's lips curled in a slight smile as he looked into the face he'd watched   
from the shadows for a millennium of nights, always from a distance. Now he   
basked in being able to finally wrap his arms around her, to hold her against   
him and chase away the dreams and fears that he'd watched her suffer through   
alone.   
  
"It is. I'm here, Sets, as alive ... well, as alive as I ever was." His mouth   
curved slightly into a self-mocking smile.  
  
Pluto's eyes closed as his arms slid around her, his touch sending shivers up   
her spine. Biting her lip she opened her eyes again, half afraid he'd no longer   
be there. But he was still smiling down at her, still holding her. No words came   
to the senshi, for no words could possibly have described the tumult of emotions   
raging through her as his warmth surrounded her. Mark looked down at the woman   
he'd loved for all the millennia of his life with an unbreakable reverence and   
immeasurable love. "I know." His voice was soft, his eyes not breaking away from   
hers.  
  
Setsuna reached up, a gloved hand tentatively tracing the contours of his face   
as though still terrified that he'd melt away like the mists from which he'd   
arisen. "Where? What?" Setsuna shook her head, a smile rising on her lips as   
she looked at his answering smirk. Gods, how she'd missed it.  
  
Mark's eyes sparkled in the dim light. "A long, long story, my love. Let's   
just say I've been awhile in recovery. Still, I'm back now. Glad to see me?"  
  
In reply Setsuna reached up to him, her lips capturing his in a kiss with   
many millennias worth of longing behind it. 'Very glad, my love.' Her mental   
voice shimmered in him, filled with love.  
  
His lips met hers firmly, a kiss he'd been waiting for a long time to make   
real again. 'As am I to finally return to you, my dearest one.'  
  
Setsuna's senses were on fire, and she had to fight hard to keep a grasp on   
her self-control as she basked in her lover's touch. 'Gods, it's been so   
long.' With more restraint than she believed possible she pulled out of the   
kiss to look up at Mark, her eyes searching his.  
  
Mark smiled into his wife's confusion, eyes steadily meeting hers. "Yes,   
beloved?" His tone was soft, gentle as always.  
  
"I'm just so afraid that at any moment all of this will disappear, like a   
dream, and I'll be alone and left without you again." Setsuna said, her   
voice filled with emotion as she leaned her head against Mark's chest and   
listened to his heartbeat.  
  
Mark smiled, gently running his hands through the long green hair he'd   
caressed so long ago. "No, love. I won't be leaving you again. This last   
absence was long enough." Gently, he squeezed her against him with a smile.   
"Convinced I'm not a dream yet?"  
  
"Yes." Magenta eyes looked up and gloved hands moved to the back of his head,   
guiding him downward to her waiting lips. Pluto allowed herself another moment   
to drink in his taste, his sense, the feel of his lips on hers; then she pulled   
away with eyes sparkling. "And if you ever disappear like that again, my love,   
you're going to have to deal with me."  
  
Mark laughed, his love for the woman he held still as strong as it had been all   
those millennia ago. "So where to now, my Lady?"  
  
"Hmm ... I could think of several places I'd like to take you." Setsuna's voice   
was laced with undisguised desire, but she would have to wait until later to sate   
that need because there were other places she was expected.  
  
Mark's lips cracked in a wry grin. "Only several?"  
  
Setsuna laughed, raising an eyebrow. "I could think of more, but I'm afraid that   
will have to wait. There's someplace I'm expected to be, a party for a dear friend;   
I'm already quite late."  
  
Mark smiled gently. "Well then, shall we?" Extending his arm, he smiled down at her   
with all the quiet grace he perpetually exuded.  
  
Setsuna looked at her husband, taking his arm as she had so many times in the past.   
"Promise me one thing, my love." She said looking at him.  
  
"Anything, dearest."  
  
"Promise to be on your best behavior." Setsuna said, trying to give him a serious   
look and failing miserably.  
  
Mark laughed. "Of course, Sets."  
  
Setsuna shook her head, suppressing a laugh of her own. She wondered if the royal   
court was ready for him. Looking up into his sparkling gray eyes, she decided   
they certainly were not.  
  
"Let's be going then," She said finally. Suddenly, the mists swirled and then   
parted as an invisible door opened. With her staff in her hand and her husband   
on her arm, she stepped through the portal that would take them back to Crystal   
Tokyo.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
"Happy Birthday, Chibi-Usa!" Hotaru smiled up at her friend, handing her a small   
box wrapped neatly in purple paper. Chibi-Usa smiled, adding it to the pile   
next to her on the couch. She'd felt much more at ease as soon as their group had   
left the massive crowd, retiring to a smaller chamber all set up to celebrate the   
special day.  
  
The room was less lavishly decorated; instead, it mirrored the main room of a   
shrine in which the Senshi gathered had spent many days and nights. The ceilings   
were strung with streamers, silver and pink balloons floating everywhere. Music   
from a time when life had been less complicated filled the air, a time when the   
girls' biggest worries had been whether or not to study.  
  
A smile crept onto Michiru's lips as she recalled the image of Hotaru and Chibi-Usa   
dancing in the center of the room, laughing like teenagers, not as a Lady and a   
Princess. She gently squeezed Haruka's hand, which rested, in her lap, aqua eyes   
meeting hazel ones, each silently wondering how long it had been since they'd been   
free of their duty.  
  
Minako leaned against Sol's chest, holding his hands tightly in front of her where   
they sat on the smaller couch to the left of the Princess. However much she loved   
the spotlight, and she loved basking in it, she still adored and cherished these   
quiet times between just the twelve people gathered in that room. She always felt   
at home, able to be herself without worrying about impressing or entertaining anyone.   
  
Makoto stood, hands gently squeezing Rod's shoulders while he sat before her. She   
silently walked around the chair, depositing herself neatly on his lap and slinging   
her arm around his neck. She leaned peacefully against him, smiling as his arms went   
around her, holding her safe. Looking around the room, she wondered if the others were   
as happy at that moment as she was.  
  
'Gods, I hope so,' she thought, waiting anxiously for the Princess to start opening   
her gifts.  
  
"So, are you ever going to start opening those gifts, Princess?" Rei asked, violet   
eyes laughing as they winked at Chibi-Usa, then turned to the Queen. "That is, if   
it's okay with you, Odango."  
  
Serenity's eyes flashed, a wide smile spreading across royal lips at the sound of   
the old name. She laughed, the urge to plunge into the thick of a tongue war with   
the fire Senshi still strong after all this time. Some things even time could not   
change. "Of course you can, darling." Serenity answered, smiling back at Rei. She   
gently put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, her eyes filled with love. "It is   
your birthday, after all."  
  
'Yours too, Usako,' Endymion's quiet voice pointed out in the Queen's mind, deep   
blue eyes flashing with mischief. 'We'll celebrate that later, though. In private.'  
  
"Thank you, everyone!" Chibi-Usa chirped, picking up the first box wrapped in   
simple white paper, a red bow wound around it. Upon opening it, Chibi-Usa found   
inside a beautiful pink kimono with silver flowers screened onto the delicate   
fabric.  
  
"It's beautiful, Rei-san!" Chibi-Usa beamed, gently unfolding the frock,   
stopping when she heard something fall into the bottom of the box. Moving   
the fabric out of the way she found a small red jewel. Holding it up to the   
light she found the symbol of Mars magically suspended in its center. Nathan   
smiled slightly as his princess fingered his part of the gift. "What's this?"   
Chibi-Usa asked, still examining the stone.  
  
"Put that aside, where you won't lose it," Minako answered, smiling at the girl.   
"There's more to come."  
  
Chibi-Usa obeyed, picking up the package that looked as if it had been wrapped   
in soft gold. Opening it, Chibi-Usa found herself shuffling through a mound of   
golden tissue paper, trying to locate the contents. Finally, in the center, she   
found two things. The first was a stone identical to the one Rei had given her   
except it was yellow in color and contained the symbol of Venus; the second was   
something she knew was from Minako.  
  
"Your mask!" Chibi-Usa gasped, picking up the delicate red mask, an antique worth   
much both in dollars and sentiments alike. She looked at the blonde, seeing tears   
shimmering in her eyes as she looked at the mask that had once hidden her identity   
when she'd just been Sailor V. Not Sailor Venus, not the leader of the inner Senshi,   
not a Lady of Crystal Tokyo.  
  
"I know you'll take good care of it, Chibi-Usa." Minako said, looking at the girl   
with love. Sol, behind her, smiled softly, keeping careful watch on the stone as   
it joined the one Nathan had chosen. Chibi-Usa smiled, placing the mask alongside   
the stones, giving it one final look before moving on to the next gift. Wrapped   
in blue and white foil, the gift came apart in her hands, exposing a small note   
atop a sea of aquamarine paper.   
  
"Sorry we couldn't be here. This is from Ami and I.   
Your devoted, Lord Alexis"  
  
Moving aside the paper, Chibi-Usa slowly uncovered a table-top model of Crystal   
Tokyo, the entire city carefully crafted out of an icy crystal that gave the   
impression of being about to melt without ever changing. She gasped slightly,   
and Nathan let out a low whistle. "Oh, my...."   
  
After a long moment Chibi set the gift carefully aside, along with the small blue   
crystal pulsing with the symbol of Mercury, and reached for the next present.   
Opening the icy blue and green paper, Chibi-Usa noticed Makoto watching her   
anxiously. Inside was a glass orb, and as she picked it up red eyes sparkled   
with wonder as it crackled with electricity, a miniature lightning storm opening   
in the center. She watched in awe as the rainbow of bright colors exploded,   
illuminating her face.  
  
"Makoto-chan...." Chibi-Usa's wide smile was all the thanks the Lady Jupiter   
required, her emerald eyes softening as the girl took out the small green stone   
from the box; Rod smiled as his gift joined those of his fellow Knights beside   
the Princess. Chibi-Usa reluctantly set the ball aside, mesmerized by the intricate   
patterns the lightning drew within its enclosure. She then picked up one of the last   
two gifts remaining. She knew it was from Michiru and Haruka, the simple brown paper   
topped with a vivid aqua silk bow hinting at the giver's identity.  
  
Inside was a beautiful box made from flawless deep red wood. Picking it up,   
Chibi-Usa smiled into the mirror that decorated its lid as she studied the   
intricate patterns carved onto the body of it. As she opened the lid, the room   
was filled with the delicate, soothing sounds of Michiru's violin and Haruka's   
piano, intertwining into a sweet lullaby.  
  
"Thank you both," Chibi-Usa set the box aside, leaving the top open so that the   
sweet melody could still be heard. Carefully she took out the forest green and   
aqua stones, the givers smiling at their addition of stones to match those the   
Knights had offered, and set them beside the others. At last her eyes fell upon   
the final gift, then traveled to Hotaru, who sat on the floor at the Princess's   
feet. She could see a flash of uncertainty in her friend's violet eyes as she   
picked up the package, and knew that Hotaru was worried that she wouldn't like   
it. Determined to dispel the pale girl's fears, the Princess picked up the package   
and opened it.  
  
"Oh my gods…" Chibi-Usa gasped, taking the beautiful lamp from its box. It reminded   
her of the multitude of lamps that still decorated the Lady Saturn's room, sparkling   
like fireflies when they were lit. The lamp's base was of a dark metal, providing a   
set of clawed feet on which it could rest. The body of it was made of frosted white   
glass, decorated with silhouette of horse with wings and a golden horn. Chibi-Usa's   
eyes filled with tears, the images of Pegasus, her first true love, bringing back so   
many sweet memories.  
  
"Thank you, Hota-chan. It's wonderful." Chibi-Usa's voice shook with emotion. She   
set the lamp carefully on the table, being sure to extract the purple stone from   
the box and putting it in its place as well. Hotaru hid a small smile at her   
completion of the Knights' gifts. Chibi-Usa looked over the beaming faces around   
her, joy filling her heart. She could see as well as feel the love they all felt   
for her, and she was eternally thankful for it. Looking at Haruka and Michiru, a   
small frown crossed her face. Not everyone dear to her was present.  
  
"Mother, where's Setsuna?" Chibi-Usa asked, turning to the Queen.  
  
"She had something to attend to, dear. She told me to tell you...."  
  
"That I wouldn't miss this part for the world!" Setsuna's voice finished the Queen's   
sentence as she appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Puu!" Chibi-Usa laughed, getting up from the couch and moving to embrace the woman   
only to stop in her tracks as a dark figure moved beside the Time Senshi. "Who?"   
Chibi-Usa's eyes narrowed, gauging the man.  
  
All eyes in the room turned to the door, no one recognizing the oddly familiar man   
that stood there, wondering what Setsuna was thinking, bringing a stranger to such   
a private event.  
  
"Care to introduce us to your guest, Setsuna?" Endymion asked, rising to his feet,   
eyeing the man in the doorway with a cautious gaze that spoke of half-remembered   
moments and quiet concern.  
  
Setsuna smiled, fully expecting the looks of surprise she received. Her eyes met  
Chibi-Usa's warmly in spite of the tension. "I'm sorry to be late, Small Lady."   
As the time senshi stepped into the room, her eyes caught the King's stare. "This   
is Mark." Setsuna paused, her smile widening "He's a dear friend of mine. We go   
back a long, long time."  
  
Haruka's eyebrow raised, looking over at the green-haired woman with amusement.   
"A friend? Really, Sets? Just a friend?"  
  
Michiru's grip on her lover's hand tightened, "Haruka!" she hissed, shaking her   
head and smiling. It was as clear to her as it was to her lover that there was   
something more than just a friendship between the two. Michiru studied Mark's   
face, finding something strikingly familiar about it.  
  
"Something like that, yes." Mark's voice was soft and quiet, but with a slightly   
mocking lilt to it.  
  
Chibi-Usa looked at Mark, not sure what to make of him. "Setsuna, should we know   
him?" she asked, wanting to embrace the woman but feeling slightly intimidated   
by Mark.  
  
Setsuna looked at them, taking a moment to decide how to approach this. Shaking   
her head, she realized she was just trying to put off the inevitable. "Chibi-Usa,   
you would not know Mark. He's been ... missing for a long time." Setsuna paused.   
"Since the Silver Millennium and since Metallia attacked the Moon Kingdom."  
  
Nathan cracked a grin at the taller man in black. "What is he, Sets, your brother?"  
  
Setsuna's eyes darted to Nathan, a wry smile on her lips. "Not quite, Nate. Family   
yes, brother no."  
  
Mark stepped forward, smiling slightly. "The Lord Pluto at your service, husband   
to my Lady Setsuna." With a swift twist he brought a dozen black roses from   
beneath his cloak and deftly handed them to Setsuna.  
  
"Husband?" Minako, Rei and Makoto all gasped at once as their jaws dropped open   
in disbelief. Pluto, the solitary senshi of the Time Gate, had a husband?  
  
The same thought echoed in the minds of the inner Senshi as what they'd been   
told sunk in, coming through their soul-bonds from their respective lovers.   
'Go Sets!' The Knights, almost in tandem, broke into wide grins.  
  
"Now I see why you were late." Serenity laughed at the look of embarrassment   
on the normally composed Setsuna's face.  
  
"Hai. Mark is my husband." Setsuna laughed nervously, accepting the offered   
roses with a further blush that added even more to Haruka's amusement.   
  
Leaning forward, Mark gently kissed his wife before turning to the party. "I   
understand this is your birthday, Princess."  
  
Chibi-Usa couldn't help but giggle softly at the look that came over Setsuna's   
face, her uncertainty about Mark disappearing like smoke. Taking a deep breath,   
Chibi-Usa did the last thing she'd expected. She stepped forward and offered her   
hand to Mark. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mark." Chibi-Usa smiled over at   
Setsuna, never before having seen the woman look so happy. "I'm glad you were   
able to make it."  
  
Mark smiled down at the Princess, sketching a courtly bow with dark, elegant   
grace. "Never let it be said that the Lord Pluto came unprepared for his   
hostess." With a flourish, he produced from the air a dark stone, obsidian   
black, which glowed with a crackling gleam.  
  
Chibi-Usa's eyes widened, amused by Mark's formality. She smiled at him as she   
accepted the stone, holding it up to the light. "Thank you."  
  
Then a shimmering mass of darkness rose out of the crystal and formed itself into   
a stunningly precise picture. Front and center stood a Prince and a Princess,   
one with black hair and the other with long golden tresses that fell from meatballs   
mounted on her head. Around them stood the Senshi and Knights, dresses shimmering   
and armor gleaming in the light of the rising Earth. Mark was there, beside Setsuna,   
smiling at the other Knights with his usual smirk; behind them, at the edge of the   
amphitheater, stood a woman with long white hair. A Queen from another time, another   
world.  
  
Mark smiled gently. "Perhaps a fitting gift from the avatar of Entropy. A picture   
of the past, from when we were all young."  
  
Setsuna watched, smiling as Chibi-Usa peered into the stone to see a snapshot that   
most of those gathered carried only in the recesses of their memories, buried so   
deep they would have to dig through millennia's worth of dust to uncover it. It   
was then that Setsuna remembered her gift for the princess, and she smiled as a   
small metal and glass cabinet appeared on the table beside Chibi-Usa. "That, Small   
Lady, is from me." Setsuna motioned toward the item, stepping up next to the girl.  
  
Chibi-Usa was silent as she knelt down beside the low table, taking a moment to   
just look at the cabinet. It was made out of wrought iron, white glass panels set   
inside beautiful frames of the dark metal. Carefully she reached out and used one   
of the rose-shaped knobs to open it.  
  
Inside, upon a stand of gold, sat an ice-blue orb. Gently Chibi-Usa reached in,   
taking the contents of the cabinet and setting them on the table so she could get   
a better look at them. As she peered into the crystal surface of the globe, she   
let out a gasp as images arose. Images of the past, of a time that seemed like a   
dream to Chibi-Usa sometimes. Chibi-Usa watched, tears rising in her eyes, as   
images of Hotaru and she, both much younger, appeared in the globe.   
  
"Chibi-Usa, that orb will allow you to revisit the past, to always be able to   
clearly remember all the happy times, no matter how long ago they were. The   
globe is able to focus on your memories, bringing forward those which are the   
sweetest, the happiest ones you possess." Setsuna explained, placing her hand   
on the girl's shoulder.  
  
"Puu!" Chibi-Usa rose to her feet, embracing the woman tightly as tears slid   
down her face. "I couldn't have asked for anything better."  
  
Setsuna smiled knowingly. She knew full well how precious those memories of good   
times could be, how crucial they were for getting through hard times. Looking at   
the faces of those gathered, she knew they realized it as well; most of them were   
still trying to grasp memories from many lifetimes ago.   
  
Endymion smiled at his daughter gently, hesitant to break the moment. "Take good   
care of that." The smile widened slightly. "Care to see the rest of your presents?"  
  
Chibi-Usa pulled out of Setsuna's embrace, her eyes smiling up at her father.   
"You mean there's more?"  
  
Endymion nodded, his eyes warm. "Just a bit. Would you like to bring up those   
eight stones to me?"  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded, silently moving to the low table and picking up the stones   
one by one, admiring them briefly in the light before cupping them gently in   
her palm. As the girl lifted Setsuna's stone, Mark reached out and touched it   
briefly; a flicker of light added his own essence to the sparkling jewels.   
Chibi-Usa's eyes followed Mark's movements with interest, wondering what he   
was doing. She was about to say something when she remembered her father   
still standing in the center of the room waiting for her. Closing her fingers   
around the stones, she turned and moved so she stood before him once again,   
waiting in silent anticipation.  
  
Endymion gently arranged the stones in a small circle, then drew a stone of   
his own from around his neck and set it in the center. "Now, then." Energy   
crackled between the stones, focusing on the center stone and burning it into   
a rainbow of colors. Finally the wash of energy subsided, leaving only the   
faint glistening of the gems. Drawing a silver chain from his pocket, he   
strung the stone into a small, fitted ring and then clasped the rainbow jewel   
around his daughter's neck. Chibi-Usa stood with her mouth slightly agape as   
her father slid the fine sliver chain over her head; looking down, she picked   
up the stone in her fingers and let out a surprised gasp at how warm it felt   
in her hand. "What is it?" she asked, still marveling at the multicolored jewel.  
  
Endymion smiled, "It's a ward stone. It'll grow cold when you're in danger,   
and it will let the Knights and I find you if you need help. Anywhere."  
  
Chibi-Usa released the stone after a moment and allowed it to dangle on its   
chain, her eyes rising to meet the King's as her face split into a bright   
smile. "Thank you, Father." she said, her tone masking the sudden knot in   
her stomach. She found herself almost wishing the jewel had been nothing   
more spectacular than a piece of jewelry rather than another reminder that   
she was something to be protected. With a weak smile, Chibi-Usa returned to   
her place on the floor before the gift from Pluto. Endymion saw the flicker   
in his daughter's eyes and sighed inwardly as he mind-spoke to Serenity.   
'I suppose it's up to you to cheer her up, dearest. I seem to have just   
made it worse.'  
  
Serenity's eyes softened at her husband's silent plea as she looked to   
her daughter and caught the change in her, the dimming of her eyes. She   
could relate to the girl and remembered what it felt like to be treated   
like a piece of fragile glass, but even she couldn't imagine what it   
would feel like to be treated like that for two millennia. "Chibi-Usa,  
there's one more gift for you." Serenity said, rising from the couch   
with a small object wrapped in golden silk held in her hand. Red eyes   
followed the movements of the queen with guarded interest as she moved   
to the center of the room, the King moving to the side with eyes locked   
on his wife. Carefully, Serenity unfolded the silk to reveal a thin silver   
brooch with a white moon engraved on the top that was filled with white   
gold. Slim white fingers snapped open the compact, revealing eight   
indentations surrounding a central mount on the inner part of the piece.   
  
"Chibi-Usa, would you please bring me the remaining stones?" The Queen smiled   
warmly at her daughter, fixing red eyes with blue ones.   
  
Reluctantly Chibi-Usa rose from the floor and moved to pick up the eight   
jewels. "Here you go, Mother." The Princess said, her voice low as she   
held out the gems to Serenity.  
  
"Thank you, darling." Serenity smiled, reaching out and taking the stones   
one by one from her daughter's hand before snapping them into place on the   
inside of the locket. Each stone fell into its slot with a soft click, a   
small flicker of light bursting to life in the center of the stone to   
illuminate the planetary symbol in the center. When all the stones were   
in place, the Queen's free hand reached up and grasped her own brooch,   
holding it carefully next to the other in her palm with the cover open   
and the ginzuishou glinting in the light.  
  
"Ladies?" The Queen's eyes lifted, regarding the Senshi who had already   
risen from their seats. In a group, the women moved toward the Queen and   
the Princess, forming a circle around them. Without a word, the Senshi   
joined hands; their eyes smiled knowingly at the Princess.  
  
"Mars Crystal Power!" Rei whispered, closing her eyes and bowing her head.   
In the locket, the ruby red stone suddenly flared to life.  
  
One by one the other Senshi followed suit, and as each girl spoke her   
respective stone reacted, bursting to life with rainbow light. Soon the   
women's faces were illuminated in a myriad of different colors as the   
stones pulsed with energy. All was silent for a moment, then the queen   
closed her eyes and spoke.  
  
"Moon Crystal Power," Serenity's voice rose softly and suddenly the   
ginzuishou burst to life, shining like the burning heart of a star.   
There was a brighter flash and a small orb of light rose from the center   
of the crystal to float from the Queen's brooch and settle itself in the   
center of the other stones. There was another blinding flash, and when it   
dissipated the silver locket sat closed in Serenity's palm, still shimmering   
with dormant energy. "This is for you, my dear." Serenity held out her hand   
to Chibi-Usa, seeing the girl regard it warily.  
  
"I ... I...." Chibi-Usa stuttered, gingerly taking the gift from her mother,   
feeling the energy locked within it.  
  
"That is your crystal, the key to your power." Serenity placed her hand on   
Chibi-Usa's shoulder looking at her daughter with pride. "You, my love,   
have matured before our eyes. While it is sometimes hard for us to remember   
that you are not a child, it is more than clear to me that you have grown   
into an intelligent, poised, loving, open-minded woman; you are fully   
prepared to handle the full powers that were bestowed upon you at birth."  
  
"But why the other stones?" Chibi-Usa asked, finally finding her voice.   
"I understand the ginzuishou, but the others?"  
  
"Unlike myself, you do not have a court of Senshi designated to protect   
you at all costs. While the Inner and Outer Senshi have always been around   
you and would put their lives on the line to protect you as they would me,   
you need to have that type of power and support with you no matter what,   
even if we're not with you. Those stones will provide you with the energy   
and the power that the Senshi have shared with me numerous times. Consider   
those eight stones guardians of sorts. They will be there for you when you   
need them."  
  
Chibi-Usa looked at the locket and then up at her mother, and she saw the   
immense amount of pride with which the Queen regarded her. Slowly her red   
eyes moved over the room, seeing the same look reflected in the eyes of   
all those gathered.  
  
"Thank you, Mother." Chibi-Usa smiled as she attached the brooch to the front   
of her dress, immediately feeling the crystal inside connecting with her. "I   
promise not to disappoint any of you, ever. I promise to prove that I am   
indeed ready for such a great responsibility." A moment later she felt her   
face go red as the applause and words of congratulation filled the room,   
each senshi coming up to her and embracing her. They were all so happy   
for her; they all seemed so confident in her. She began to believe that   
she might actually be able to fulfill their expectations, that maybe   
things would get better. That perhaps she would finally be allowed to   
be an adult.  
  
"Small Lady, I'm so proud of you," Setsuna whispered, kissing the girl's cheek.   
  
"Thank you, Puu," Chibi-Usa smiled as the woman pulled away. "Thank you, everyone."  
  
"It's our pleasure, Chibi-Usa," Makoto smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Now   
what do you say we get this party moving again?"  
  
Nathan laughed. "I agree." Music struck up again, memories rising with   
it as the group collectively slid onto the dance floor.  
  
From the shadows, gray eyes watched the party carefully. 'Interesting,   
Sets. No watchers tonight?'  
  
Setsuna's eyes left the dancing forms on the dance floor and slid toward   
the darkened corner. 'It wasn't deemed necessary since most of Crystal   
Tokyo is gathered here to celebrate.' Setsuna paused, sighing. 'These   
are peaceful times, love.'   
  
Mark's lips curled slightly in the shadows. 'So were the times right   
before Beryl's rise on Earth, dear. Or don't they teach history in   
modern Crystal Tokyo?'  
  
Setsuna crossed her arms, shaking her head. 'They teach it. The problem   
is that centuries or even half a millennium without trouble can lull people   
into a false sense of security. Most of those people out there don't even   
know who Beryl was. To them, she's like some fairy story used to scare   
children. The Queen and the King are more than aware of the ever present   
potential for danger, but even they allow themselves moments of total peace,   
free of worry.'  
  
Mark's eyes met Setsuna's, gentle in their reproach. 'Are they really aware?   
How long has it been? A hundred years? A thousand? Are they really ready anymore?'  
  
'Those gathered here live with the same nightmares that I do. They remember   
what's happened; they remember the hardships and the dangers. They're all   
aware of how fragile this crystal city actually is.' Setsuna replied, wishing   
she were as sure of her own words as she tried to sound.  
  
Mark smiled darkly. 'Oh, I know they lived it. But do they remember what it   
means?' With a final look around, he slid into a shadow and faded into the   
blackness. 'I'll be in your room, my love.'  
  
Setsuna stood there for a moment, eyes still focused on the empty shadows,   
thinking about Mark's words. Looking around the room, she had to wonder   
if they truly were prepared if their world were suddenly to be thrown upside   
down and ripped apart at the seams again. Would they be able to rise to the   
occasion, would they be able to handle it? The Time Senshi's eyes drifted from   
the shadows and fell upon the dancing forms of the King and Queen. They swayed   
in time to the music, lost in each other's eyes, thoughts and embrace. She   
could see the strength within both of them, but she wondered if they were   
truly ready.  
  
With a sigh, she moved over to Chibi-Usa and whispered her good-byes, telling   
the Princess she would see her in the morning. Then with a smile tugging at   
her lips she left the party, intent on attending a much smaller and more intimate   
gathering in her chambers. She and Mark had a lot of lost time to make up for.  
  
On the dance floor, Endymion watched Setsuna leave, gently holding his wife   
close to him. It was a good idea. After all, it was his wife's birthday and   
she deserved a present befitting her station. A small smile slipped over his   
lips, a hint of mischief gleaming in his eyes.  
  
"And just what are you smiling about?" Serenity asked, her eyes smiling up at   
him, awaiting his answer.  
  
Endymion grinned slightly. "I'm thinking that you still haven't gotten your   
birthday present." He leaned down, kissing her gently as he spoke in her mind.   
'And that I'll enjoy giving it to you.'  
  
Serenity deepened the kiss. 'I'm sure it'll be worth the wait; at least, as   
long as that wait isn't too much longer, Mamo-chan.'  
  
His smile widened within the kiss. 'If you say so, Usako.' Gathering her   
into his arms, he smiled at the other Senshi. "Good night, all." Moving to   
his daughter, he kissed her forehead gently. "Good night, sweetheart."  
  
Rei moved next to Serenity, smiling evilly at the woman. "Enjoy your   
birthday present. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she whispered,   
laughing as Serenity's face reddened.  
  
"Rei!" Serenity hissed in embarrassment, but then her eyes brightened   
mischievously. "Hmm. Now that I think of it, that doesn't leave much   
out of bounds, does it?"  
  
Nathan grinned as his wife blushed a deep violet red. 'She does have a   
point, dear.'  
  
"Hush you!" Rei laughed, turning to her husband and placing a finger on   
his lips. "Not another word."  
  
"Good night, Rei," Serenity laughed, winking at the blushing woman.   
"Good night everyone, enjoy yourselves."  
  
Serenity kissed Chibi-Usa's cheek, smiling at her. "You have fun   
sweetheart, enjoy the rest of the night. It is your birthday after all."  
  
Chibi-Usa smiled up at her mother and hugged her tightly. "Thank   
you, Mom." She then turned to her father, embracing him as well.   
"Thank you, Dad. For everything."  
  
Endymion smiled gently. "You're welcome. Have fun, small one."  
  
Chibi-Usa's nose wrinkled at the use of the term 'small one', but   
her smile never wavered. "Oh, don't worry. I will."  
  
With a grin, Endymion swept his wife up the stairs and away from the   
crowd, leading her up to their room. Serenity smiled as her husband   
closed the door behind them, her eyes sparkling. "I'm so glad   
Chibi-Usa's mood brightened. I was worried her birthday would be   
ruined."  
  
Endymion's lips shifted slightly. "I'm glad, too. Hope it'll last."   
Sitting on the bed next to his wife, he gently put his arms around   
her. "She is a teenager, after all."  
  
Serenity leaned against her husband, sighing. "I know. I just worry   
about her sometimes; she's been through so much." Serenity looked up   
into Endymion's eyes. "I really do hope this lasts for her, that she   
can stay just as happy and safe as she is now."  
  
He smiled down at her, squeezing her gently. "I hope so too. I only   
wish…." A sigh and a shrug, a helpless look in his eyes.  
  
"I know. I keep hoping that one day he'll reappear." Serenity nodded,   
catching the reference to Elios. She knew that his disappearance had   
left a hole in her daughter's heart, and she knew that the two were   
separate by a boundary that not even she, the bearer of the ginzuishou,   
could overcome. Elios' place was Illusion; Chibi-Usa's was Crystal Tokyo.   
When that fact had become known, it had nearly destroyed the Princess and   
although nearly millennia had passed, Serenity knew the pain was just as   
fresh in the girl's heart. "I can't imagine what it would be like to know   
that I could never be with my soul mate, to know that we would be forever   
separate."  
  
Endymion sighed, leaning back on the bed. "I just wish I could help her   
stop hurting. Maybe find someone else, maybe not, but just heal it. You   
know?"  
  
Serenity gently placed her hand against his cheek, smiling at him.   
"I know exactly what you mean, love. I've wished the same thing so   
many times. Personally, I don't believe that even fate is cruel enough   
to keep someone separate from the one person in this universe that completes   
them. I think that some way, somehow, sometime she will find that person   
again. If it is Elios, then so be it. If not, as long as he's here for her   
and as long as they find each other." Serenity smiled. "Hey, we found each   
other time and time again, through life and death, across the millennia. If   
we did it, then I have no doubt that she can."  
  
Endymion smiled gently. "Thank you, love." Wrapping his wife in his arms   
he held her for a long time, then smiled. "Now, shall we get on with your   
gift?"  
  
Serenity's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "I thought you'd never ask."   
  
The shroud of night fell softly across their laughter.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
"Lady Mars! Lord Nathan!" A frantic voice, accompanied by an insistent   
knocking, yanked the two rudely from their rest.  
  
"What the hell?" Rei cursed as she jolted up, violet eyes darting around   
the room.  
  
Nathan's eyes snapped open, instantly alert. "Trouble. Let's go."  
  
"Lady Mars, there's been an attack. The Senshi are meeting in the Ops   
room." The guard was insistent but cautious, not wanting to face the   
fire senshi's early morning temper.  
  
"Ops room?" Rei's voice was still heavy with sleep, a blaring headache   
reminding her sharply of the previous night's festivities. "We'll be   
there in five minutes!" she called as the fog lifted and she came fully   
awake.   
  
Nathan was out of bed like lightning, moving for the dresser before the   
door was fully closed. "Let's move, love. I doubt it's anything we can't   
handle."  
  
Rei rose from the bed, her hand automatically going for the henshin   
stick that rested on the night table. In an instant she was transformed,   
violet eyes focused on her husband.  
  
"I'm sure you're right," Rei agreed, smiling slightly, "but don't you think   
you could hurry up and get dressed already?"  
  
Nathan's eyes tightened. "Right." Closing his eyes for a moment, he   
summoned the armor of his Knight form and shifted. The Greek-style armor   
was normally impressive; now it was as natural as a second skin. Moments   
later they jogged into the Ops room, finding that they were among the last   
to arrive. Looking around the room, it was obvious that they had all been   
pulled from their beds; the faces around the table were both troubled and   
slightly tired.  
  
Endymion and Serenity sat at the head of the table, the Queen's hair   
haphazardly wrapped into its customary odangos. To their right sat   
Chibi-Usa, who's pink head rested on the table, red eyes looking drowsily   
into space, trying to get her mind to focus. Beside her, Hotaru wore a   
similar expression, the two girl's head inches apart as they whispered   
and exchanged glances.   
  
Next down the line were Haruka and Michiru, looking calm and collected   
as ever. No one would have believed the couple had yet to get any sleep.   
The only sign of anything amiss was the stray feather clinging to Michiru's   
normally immaculate hair.  
  
Setsuna and Mark were next, both of them regarding the King and Queen   
seriously, awaiting further news. Setsuna's eyes, although serious,   
sparkled with something else. The only indication of something below   
the Time Senshi's stoic demeanor was the way her and her lover's hands   
rested upon one another, fingers intertwined. Mark's face however,   
showed no signs of emotion, his expression hard as gray eyes regarded   
the Royals with detached interest.  
  
Across the table sat a stony faced Rod, his hands resting before him   
on the table as he waited silently. Beside him, Makoto's eyes were   
worried and her clenched fists told of her eagerness to act. Rei   
rested a hand on the brunette's shoulder as she took a seat beside   
her and both sets of eyes turned toward the head of the room.   
  
Finally, directly next to Serenity, sat Minako and Sol. An   
uncharacteristically serious expression clung to the blonde's   
face; she sat with her arms crossed and her legs shaking under   
the table. Rei was about to ask for a further explanation of   
what had happened when Ami and Alexis entered, the blue-haired   
girl flushed and panting.  
  
"I apologize for our lateness. We were just told of the attack."   
Ami said breathlessly, taking her seat. She glanced over at her   
husband and frowned at how calm and collected he still seemed.   
He calmly took his place beside his wife and turned to Endymion.  
  
"What's happened?" Alexis asked finally, all eyes turning as they   
awaited the answer.  
  
"There's been an attack within the city," Serenity spoke up   
tonelessly, as if she were still trying to figure out how it   
had happened. "Reports are sketchy at the moment, but it appears   
as if things are quite messy."  
  
Endymion's lips tightened. "We're short on details, but the target   
appears to have been a school. Other than that, we know very little."  
  
There was a collective gasp, and even Chibi-Usa's head rose from the   
table to stare at her father in disbelief. "A school?" Chibi-Usa   
asked, her fingers tightening around the brooch that lay on the   
table beside her.  
  
"Yes, a school." Serenity answered dryly. "We will not sit around   
here and wait for the guard to bring us reports, either. We're   
going out there now to see just what's happened, to see what we   
can do to fix it and prevent it from happening again."  
  
Nathan rose, face grim, for once without a flippant comment. "Let's   
get going."  
  
The Knights rose, armor or weapons crackling into place as they   
shifted, moving with shared, silent determination. Nathan spun   
his spear up into guard position, Greek armor gleaming gold and   
red, nodding to Rod with a grim salute. In response, the other   
man shifted his grip on the black-shafted war-hammer slung across   
his silver and black back and breast plate armor as the light   
sparkled off Sol's golden battle armor, gleaming with deadly   
devices whose functions were better left unknown. On the other   
end of the table Alexis hefted his ivory and silver staff and   
nodded to the others, blue robes swirling. "Ready."  
  
As the Knights gathered themselves so too did the Senshi,   
those that had not henshined making short order of their   
transformations. Soon they all stood looking at the King   
and Queen, awaiting the order to leave with practiced   
professionalism. Saturn leaned her head on her glaive,   
her eyes falling upon the Princess who still sat holding   
her brooch, as if unsure what to do with it.  
  
"Chibi-Usa, say Solar Moon Crystal Power," Serenity   
instructed, rising from her seat.  
  
The girl uttered the words and was immediately engulfed in   
a rainbow of lights, reappearing in her Senshi fuku, silver   
skirt shimmering and the rose quartz upon her tiara shining   
brightly. In her hand appeared a scepter, a silver rose at   
the top, the bloom encasing a glowing crystal.  
  
"Now, we're all ready." Serenity said, nodding at her court.   
Space crackled around them, Endymion and Serenity leading the   
way in the mass teleport; for a moment there was nothing, and   
then they were there.   
  
What had once been a school was now only ruins, ashes and debris.   
Scattered through it at apparently random intervals were bodies   
upon bodies upon bodies; children, teachers, a handful of adults   
who looked to have been parents, all ripped bloodily apart with   
faces frozen in pain and terror. This had not been a bomb blast   
or an explosion or anything so mercifully quick. This had been a   
slow and deliberate slaughter, carried out with ruthless precision   
in what those who were there would have sworn was the safest place   
in the world. It had been done with a savage, relentless ferocity   
that had left nothing but torn bodies and ashes in its wake, and in   
the center of it all was a single body, positioned at what had been   
the school's entrance: a teen, perhaps Chibi-Usa's age, apparently   
unmarked but thoroughly dead. On her face was an expression of pure   
agony and horror so powerful as to defy description.   
  
Nathan blanched hard as his face paled and Rod's eyes widened visibly,   
jaw going slack. Sol stood utterly still, stunned into silence, and   
Mark stood beside Setsuna with his face blank of emotion and eyes   
scanning the scene silently. "Oh my gods." Mars whispered, her hand   
covering her mouth as violet eyes took in the scene before them.   
Her heart wrenched and her stomach lurched as her gaze moved over   
the utter carnage before her.  
  
"This wasn't an attack." Venus whispered, bending over and placing   
her hands on her legs, trying to fight back the wave of nausea that   
suddenly overwhelmed her. Blue eyes looked up through blonde bangs   
as her body trembled, watching as Ami and Hotaru moved toward the   
wreckage. Mercury's visor slid down across her face, scanning the   
rubble that had been a school for any signs of life. Even with all   
her medical training, she felt her stomach tighten at the sight of   
such horribly and brutally mangled bodies. She turned her gaze   
toward Saturn, the other girl shaking her head sadly. Saturn may   
have been the senshi of death, but even this disturbed her. So   
many innocent lives ended in such a wave of meaningless violence.  
  
Jupiter's face was white, her expression blank as her mind tried   
to process what she was seeing. Her eyes dropped to the ground,   
falling upon the hand of a child, the body nowhere in sight.   
Jupiter whirled around, falling to her knees as the bitter taste   
of bile overwhelmed her senses and she emptied the contents of   
her stomach onto the ground. Neptune moved beside Jupiter, crouching   
down beside the woman and placing a hand her shoulder. No words came   
to her mind that she could use to comfort the brunette; no comfort   
could be offered in the face of something so utterly cruel and disgusting.  
  
Uranus slid over to Setsuna, hazel eyes hard and her fingers flexing   
around the hilt of her sword. "What the hell happened here? How could   
something like this have happened under our noses?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Setsuna said, her voice carrying no emotion. Magenta   
eyes looked over the scene before them, memories of the past blazing   
to the front of the Time Senshi's mind. She could feel the same sense   
of frustration, anger and disbelief in her fellow Senshi that she's   
felt in another time when the peaceful world they'd come to exist in   
began to crack. Her eyes moved to where the Queen stood, crystal eyes   
shimmering with tears as she held her daughter's head to her chest;   
Serenity's arms embraced the Chibi-Usa, the girl's body shaking with   
sobs. Never in her life had she been exposed to a vision of such sheer   
terror. "How did this happen?" she heard Serenity ask, her head shaking   
slightly as she tried to maintain her composure, tried to remain in   
control, but Setsuna could see her hands shaking where they rested on   
the Princess's back.  
  
Mark knelt at the edge of the rubble, hands sifting through the sand   
gently. When he spoke his voice was soft, detached and analytical.   
"Whoever did this wanted to make a point." More sand slid silently   
through his fingers, clotted with occasional clumps of drying blood.   
"This was carefully calculated, not just destruction for destruction's   
sake."  
  
"This is sick, that's what it is!" Venus snapped, her eyes turning to   
Mark. "Why here? Why now? Why kill so many innocent children? Gods,   
why?"  
  
Mark's voice was quiet and relentlessly calm. "To show they could."   
He stood, hand gesturing to the ruin around them. "Look at it. Not a   
wasted shot, no damage to the surrounding area and not a trace of   
attackers anywhere. They weren't just trying to kill. They wanted   
to show you that they could hurt the things you considered most safe,   
and that you couldn't do anything about it." He pointed to the girl at   
the entrance, a mute witness of terror. "They wanted to show you there   
was nothing they wouldn't do to hurt you."  
  
"Like hell we can't do anything about it!" Uranus growled through clenched   
teeth. "I, for one, don't plan on allowing anything like this to happen   
again! I will not have some maniac mocking us like this."  
  
Mark met her eyes calmly as his lips twitched with a small, sardonic   
smile. "I don't recall you planning for this to happen either, Uranus."  
  
"How dare you, you a-!" Uranus' words were halted by her lover's hand   
suddenly on her arm.  
  
"He's right, Uranus," Neptune's eyes regarded Mark coldly. "We didn't   
plan for this to happen. Hell, we didn't even know about it until after   
the damage had already been done."  
  
Mark's voice remained quiet, icily polite. "Thank you, my lady. To put   
it simply, your opponent knew you; he knew how to slip past your guard   
to do exactly what he wished and then leave before you could even try   
to stop him." Mark's eyes raked them, probing. "Now the question is,   
what are you going to do about it?"  
  
"We're sure as hell not going to let it happen again," Jupiter said,   
on her feet once again although her face was still deathly pale.  
  
Endymion's voice was soft but chilled with anger. "No. We won't."   
His hands hung loosely at his sides, but the rage in his eyes burned   
deep and bright. "Mercury, I want you to scan the area. Thoroughly.   
Mars, Coldfire, I want you to check things over as well. I want to   
know who did this, how they did it, and I want to know it yesterday."  
  
Alexis nodded, taking his orders with a grim professionalism. "Right."   
Mercury nodded as well, turning her attention away from the group and   
forcing her mind to concentrate on gathering information while trying   
not to let what she was seeing sink in too deeply.  
  
Endymion turned to Serenity, meeting her eyes. "Have we seen enough?"  
  
Serenity's only answer was a simple nod, her arms still wrapped around   
their daughter. 'She should not have been here, she should not have seen   
this,' she said in his mind, voice shaking with disbelief. 'Gods, I didn't   
want to see this.'  
  
Endymion's lips hardened. 'I know.' Aloud he raised his voice to the other   
Senshi. "Come on, back to the Palace. We have work to do."  
  
The others nodded; Mercury, Mars and Coldfire remained behind, probing the   
wreckage for answers. Saturn moved next to Serenity, her eyes regarding   
the Princess with sadness as she felt the girl's terror. Venus stepped to   
Jupiter and put her arm around the other woman's shoulder, the blonde's face   
set in grim determination. Uranus glanced at Pluto and then at Mark, her   
eyes hard and her mouth opening to say something. Neptune caught the storm   
coming, and knowing it would do nothing but ignite already flaring emotions   
she gently guided her lover away from them and toward the others.  
  
Mark stood silently, watching them, not moving from where he stood as his   
hand gently fingered his glaive. Pluto stood wordlessly beside him, waiting   
for the others to leave before speaking, her mind returning to her husband's   
words from the previous night.  
  
'I think you were right. I don't think they truly remembered what death and   
danger meant.' she said in his mind. 'But I think they're beginning too.'   
  
Mark's voice in her mind ran tight with tension. 'I hope so. Because I've   
never seen anything like this, and I thought I'd seen everything.'  
  
There was a crackle of shadow, and the Senshi of Time and her Knight were   
gone. Several long minutes later a small figure slipped away from the   
ruins and vanished without a trace, hurrying to report to a distant master   
on the progress of the first seeds of his plan.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Special thanks goes out to all those that have made this possible, including  
Soul for doing the first round of edits and helping with our sometimes horrendous  
spelling and typing skills, and Liz for doing the final round, making sure everything  
fits and correcting the little mistakes we'd never pick up.  
  
Fallen Stars has been a year in the making, hopefully it lives up to all expectations.  
Feel free to contact us with any praise, comments, moans, groans or suggestions.   
Feedback is a good thing. ^_^  
  
Email: fallen_star715@yahoo.com  
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	3. Part Two - Chapter 1

------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko  
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.  
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and  
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Fallen Stars  
by  
Lady Archanna & Archmage  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Part 2  
Chapter 1  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
The plaza was a mess. It might have been beautiful once, but now it was a   
mass of shattered crystal and torn bodies. The screams of the injured mingled   
with the wails of children had faded long before, falling slowly into the   
eerie silence of a tomb. Only a handful of wounded still moaned in pain,   
while citizens from the surrounding area struggled to find the source of   
the sounds. In the heart of Crystal Tokyo, a new wound had blossomed. Only   
twelve hours ago, the plaza had been filled with hundreds of people gathered   
for an art festival and the streets had been lined with booths overflowing   
with the works of artists from both within the city and around the world.   
There had been so much beauty, such a feeling of peaceful enjoyment filling   
the air before it so abruptly shattered. The end result of less than a quarter   
of an hour of chaos was a nightmarish scene that bore no resemblance to that   
other image of tranquility. The streets around the plaza were now slowly   
emptying, save for those few stragglers still trying to gather their   
belongings. Blank expressions marred their faces as they tried to block out   
the devastation around them, the wreck of what had once been their aspirations   
and dreams. Shelters had been set up near the Palace, and guards were now   
patrolling the streets, desperately trying to give the citizens back the   
sense of security that had been so brutally shattered.   
  
Serenity sat alone in her chambers, a view screen open before her,   
projecting the images of one nightmarish attack after another. Tears   
shimmered in crystal eyes as they looked at each terrified expression,   
each face frozen in a cry of pain. She could have looked away, could   
have turned it off, but she didn't. Something in her made her watch,   
made her burn the images into her mind, perhaps in hope that in doing   
so she would prevent something like this from happening again. She could   
feel the confusion and fear that blossomed in the hearts of her people   
as they were faced with something they had not experienced in close to   
a thousand years. Violence.   
  
Sighing, she turned her eyes away from the screen and looked out at the   
city through the crystal wall of the palace. It still looked the same;   
it still shone with the same brightness and vitality it had just days   
before. There was no ominous gray cloud, black spaceship or mysterious   
circus tent hanging over it, nothing to indicate that any threat existed.   
"But how long will it stay that way?" Serenity asked the empty room,   
wishing for some answer to come to her.   
  
Endymion entered, shoulders slumped slightly with exhaustion but still   
moving with his customary energy. He paused on the threshold, sensing   
his wife's thoughts. "I don't know, but so far they seem to be   
restricting themselves to psychological targets instead of mass   
destruction." He looked at the display, lips tightening. "If you can   
call slaughtering over a hundred people to destroy the art festival   
celebrating Crystal Tokyo's two thousand and five hundredth anniversary   
restraining yourself."   
  
"Mamo-chan, I just can't believe this is happening." Serenity kept her   
eyes on the city beyond the glass wall, realizing for the first time how   
fragile it all looked. "We can't let this continue; I won't let it continue!"   
  
Endymion's lips tightened. "What do we do?"   
  
Serenity turned to look at him, her mouth open to reply, but no words came;   
she could only look at him. She wanted to say that they'd stop the attacker,   
keep him or her from attacking, but how could they? They didn't know who the   
enemy was or where he would attack next; his attacks hit randomly and seemed   
utterly unpredictable. The only thing that appeared to be constant was the   
desire to cause a tremendous amount of damage and ensure that it would have   
a devastating impact on those that survived or saw the aftermath.   
  
"I don't know." Serenity finally said, closing her eyes and shaking her head.   
  
Endymion sighed, gently taking her in his arms. "You still want to go?"   
  
Serenity looked up at him, her eyes firm. "It's not a question of wanting to,   
Mamo-chan; I have to. Those are my people out there, this is my city. I will not   
just sit here in my crystal cage and watch it fall apart."   
  
Endymion's lips tightened, but he nodded. "All right. When do we leave?"   
  
Serenity saw his expression and knew he wished she would just stay in the   
safety of the Palace, but she couldn't; in the end, he knew that as well.   
"We go now. I want to get this over and done with as quickly as possibly."   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The King and Queen appeared in one of the handfuls of cleared spaces within   
the smoking rubble. Around them, guardsmen slowly worked their way through   
the wreckage in an attempt to reach the few wounded who had been trapped, yet   
miraculously survived. Nearby, Venus was directing a pair of guards who were   
pushing at a particularly stubborn piece of stone. Venus' voice was high and   
impatient, tinged with fear. "There's someone alive under there!"   
  
Uranus looked up from the scanner she held in her hand upon hearing Venus'   
voice, glancing over at the straining guards. With a groan of frustration   
she placed the small computer atop the remains of a nearby wall and picked her   
way through the fallen rubble to see if she could help. She knelt down beside   
the pile, seeing a face covered in dirt and blood; an expression of pain   
fixed upon it. With a sigh, she reached out and felt for a pulse on the man's   
neck. Nothing. "He's dead, leave him for later." Uranus said, not hiding the   
disgust in her voice or in her eyes as she looked up at Venus.   
  
Venus shook her head. "No, past him!"   
  
Uranus got to her feet, walking around the pile of stones and glass that had   
once been a small flower shop and shook her head. "There's no way anyone   
survived that," Uranus said flatly.   
  
Venus let out a hiss of annoyance and moved next to Uranus, pointing down to   
where she'd seen the movement and heard cries for help.   
  
Endymion grimaced in sudden apprehension, noting the way the rubble was   
beginning to lean. "Careful, ladies!"   
  
Neptune's head snapped up from where she was tending to an injured child at   
the sound of creaking boards and scraping stones. "Uranus, look out!" she   
cried as the building beginning to collapse with a shuddering crack.   
  
"What in -!" Uranus looked up and saw the building falling, blocks of broken   
stone shifting and beginning to tumble free. She grabbed Venus' hand and   
pulled her out of the way fractions of a second before the remains of the   
structure came crashing down in a screeching heap of metal and concrete.   
Venus fell to the ground with a gasp, landing hard on her side with a stab   
of pain. Looking back and seeing what had happened, she knew instantly that   
there was no chance of there being any survivors.   
  
Endymion's teeth gritted as he eyed the angle of the fallen girders. Someone   
had positioned those rocks so that a rock slide would be inevitable.   
  
"No! Gods..." Venus whispered, shaking her head as she stood. "I failed. I   
couldn't help he-" Her words were cut off with a snap by Uranus' hand across   
her face.   
  
"There was nobody alive in there! That's the sad truth, and the sooner you   
learn to accept it, the sooner we can try to help those people that are   
actually still alive!" Uranus's words were harsh, but there was no apology   
for them in her eyes.  
  
Endymion's voice crackled with command as he moved between the two women   
with a single quick step. "Enough." He looked from one to the other, voice   
firm. "Apportioning blame will get us nowhere. There's work to be done and   
no time in which to fight over this."   
  
Uranus nodded, turning away from Venus, adding under her breath. "Who's   
fighting? I'm just trying to introduce her to reality."   
  
Serenity winced at the look of pain on her friend's face, and her eyes   
regarded Uranus sadly, knowing that what she said was the truth, even if   
accepting it was difficult. She moved to say something when she heard low   
moans coming from just behind her. Whirling around her eyes fell upon the   
wreckage of another small shop. Her eyes carefully scanned the debris, her   
heart pounding in her chest. She was sure she'd heard something, but she   
didn't want to say anything until she was sure. She was about to turn away   
and give up when she saw fingers sticking out from between two large slabs   
of rock, moving, trying to get someone's attention.   
  
"Oh my gods! There's someone alive over here!" Serenity's voice rose as she   
moved to the fallen building, her eyes focused on the hand. "We're coming,   
just hang on."   
  
Endymion moved fast, eyes tracking past Serenity to the hand. The motions   
came swift and sure, without hesitation. In an instant he was between her   
and the hand, kneeling down to push the rubble carefully aside. "Step back,   
love. This pile may not be stable."   
  
The Queen's eyes narrowed in an instant of annoyance, but then it was   
overtaken by her desire to make sure that whoever it was that was trapped   
made it out alive. She felt Uranus brush past her, and Venus standing beside   
her motionless, just watching as the King and the guards made short work of   
the stone slabs.   
  
From beneath them rose an elderly woman, her tired face covered in dirt and   
streaked with blood. The men helped her out, laying her carefully on a blanket   
that Neptune had brought over the moment she'd heard Serenity's words. A sigh   
of relief escaped the queen's lips when she saw that the woman seemed mostly   
intact, save for some bruises and cuts.   
  
"How do you feel?" Neptune asked, carefully taking the old woman's wrist and   
checking her pulse.   
  
"Like a building just fell on me." the old woman sneered, dull brown eyes   
narrowing at the aqua-haired Senshi. "How do you think I feel?" Neptune   
winced inside at the old woman's bitterness, but she smiled gently at her.  
"Well, aside from some cuts and bruises you do appear to have survived, ma'am."   
  
"Thanks for the newsflash, deary." The old woman pulled her wrist from   
Neptune's grasp and began to stand on shaky feet.   
  
"Maybe you shouldn't stand just yet-" Venus interjected, moving from beside   
Serenity, her hands gently grabbing the woman's arms in an attempt to steady her.   
  
"What's the matter? Afraid I might collapse on you? Afraid that your latest   
survivor might keel over, leaving you short one trophy?" The muddy brown eyes   
focused on shocked blue ones, smiling broadly when Venus winced.   
  
"Trophy? What are you talking about? I just want to make sure you're okay."   
Venus said, her voice shaking.   
  
"Yes, of course that's all you want," the old woman rolled her eyes at the   
blonde, easily escaping the Senshi's loosened hold on her.   
  
"Ma'am I assure you that we all have your safety in mind." Serenity spoke up   
as she moved in front of the woman, crystal blue eyes soft and gentle as always.   
  
"Ah, so even the Queen has brought herself down here. What's the matter? Afraid   
your guards aren't competent enough to handle the clean up?" The malice in the   
woman's voice took Serenity by surprise, the coldness in her eyes frightening   
the Queen.   
  
"How dare you-!" Uranus moved to get between the Queen and the woman, but   
Serenity held up a hand, stopping her.   
  
"I am here because I'm concerned. I'm here because I want to make sure this   
doesn't happen again." Serenity's voice was calm.   
  
"And just what steps are you taking to ensure that? Have you found the monster   
responsible for this? Have you taken measures to make sure he can't do this   
again?" The old woman stepped closer to the Queen, a gnarled finger pointed   
at her in accusation.   
  
"We're handling that." Serenity answered, a knot forming in her stomach.   
  
"Handling it?" The old woman laughed, a dry raspy sound. "In other words you   
haven't got anything! You're lost, totally in the dark and praying that something   
will reveal itself to you!"   
  
"Your Majesty, I beg you, let me have the guards take this old woman away.   
She's obviously not mentally sound." Uranus growled, hazel eyes pleading   
with the Queen.   
  
"Yes! Let them take me away! Let them silence me, because heaven forbid I   
should speak the truth, and god help us if our almighty Queen not be able   
to handle it." The woman's words were directed at the Senshi, but her gaze   
never wavered from the Queen's.   
  
"No one will be silenced," Serenity said simply, her words barely more than   
a whisper. Her eyes searched the woman's, trying to find where this anger   
was coming from, why there was so much malice directed toward her when she   
was trying to do everything in her power to help.  
  
The old woman moved closer to Serenity, a wrinkled hand grasping the Queen's   
thin wrist and pulling her down so that her ear was beside the woman's mouth.   
"Because you deserve it, Serenity. You deserve every last ounce of it because   
you're nothing more than a coward with a crown and a pretty hunk of glass, not   
a queen."   
  
Serenity pulled back, wrenching her hand away as if the fingers that held it   
had just burned her. She backed away a step, not stopping the guards as they   
grabbed the old woman's arms and guided her away from the Queen toward the   
makeshift hospital so her wounds could be tended to.   
  
"Serenity?" Venus whispered, placing her hand on the friend's shoulder, seeing   
the hurt in the woman's eyes.   
  
"I-I'm fine." she replied, shaking her head and turning away from the group.   
"I'm fine." A tear fell from Serenity's eye as she wondered what the woman   
saw within her that lead her to believe she was a coward, and if perhaps   
she was right.   
  
Some time later, an old woman with eyes the color of dirt slowly walked   
through the now totally deserted plaza, looking over the damage that the   
attackers had caused. She stopped here and there to kick at a loose pieces   
of stone, looking for anything worth taking or salvaging. As she turned a   
corner she happened upon a small child, his sandy hair matted with blood,   
small body shaking with sobs where he crouched over the body of a woman.   
For a moment she just stood there watching him, then his eyes turned to   
her, a spark of hope flashing in the green orbs.   
  
"Please, help me. I-I need someone to help me," he sobbed, jumping to his   
feet and running over to her to tugging on the tattered skirt of her dress.   
"I-I can't wake her up, and all the guards are g-g-gone, and ... and...."   
  
Brown eyes looked down at the child, as expressive as a twin pair of stones.   
Slowly her hand raised from her side and rested on the boy's head, a small   
smile playing at the corners of her mouth. As the boy looked up he gasped as   
brown eyes suddenly flared golden, changing to a deep amber color. His mouth   
opened in surprise, but any words that were on his tongue died a moment later.   
  
There was the sound of a body hitting the ground, and the smile on the old   
woman's lips blossomed into a self-satisfied grin. Slowly she stepped over   
the twitching body of the boy, blood seeping slowly from his ears.   
  
A laugh rose from the old woman's throat, a sound totally different from the   
raspy cackle she'd tormented the Queen with. This was the deep, throaty laugh   
of a woman, a young woman. Her eyes were no longer dull and brown, but vivid,   
sparkling with undisguised pleasure.   
  
"Things are turning out rather well." She laughed, taking one final look at   
the wonderful piece of work around her, and then she was gone in a flash of   
silver light.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The soft sound of rustling skirts filled the darkened hallway, amber eyes   
piercing the darkness with certainty. A claw-like hand reached up and   
brushed a strand of dull gray hair off of a wrinkled forehead, thin lips   
fixed in a self-satisfied smile as she came to her destination. The pair   
of large, ebony doors parted before her, opening into a void as dark   
as midnight silk, lit only by a handful of glowing spheres of light which   
drifted dimly about the entrance and led toward the obsidian throne that stood   
in the heart of the darkness. On the throne a form sat in silence, a blot   
of darkness somehow blacker than the eternal night that surrounded it. Red   
eyes slid open to look down from the throne at the old woman as she entered.   
The voice that echoed through the room was soft but laced with power. "Welcome.   
What news?"   
  
Amber eyes narrowed slightly at the cool reception. "Some rather interesting   
developments, if I may say so." The old woman smiled secretively, her eyes   
meeting the glowing red.  
  
The shadow on the throne shifted. "I am most interested in your report. But   
first, my dear, would you like to return to your usual form?"  
  
"What's wrong? Doesn't my current look please you, my Lord?" Thin lips turned   
into a mocking smile, amber eyes focusing on the shadows above.  
  
"Perhaps." Red eyes narrowed. "But I doubt my Lady would wish to remain bound   
in that form permanently."  
  
Thin gray eyebrows rose in defiance. "I am bound to nothing, my Lord." With   
that a gnarled hand reached into an unseen pocket, extracting a black amulet   
dangling from a fine sliver chain. Amber eyes closed as she slid the pendant   
over her head, allowing it to fall softly against her skin. Her head bowed as   
black energy crackled around her, wrapping around her body. There was a flash   
of silver light, and then amber eyes opened once more and flashed with anger.  
  
"What the hell-!" She looked down at herself, seeing she was still clothed in   
the matronly dress, her body still old and hunched. Her eyes darted up to his,   
meeting his in a fiery glare. "I am not amused."  
  
The voice remained soft, but there was a slight edge of mockery in it now. "As   
I was saying? Unless you care to be trapped in that form."   
  
"I don't, Lord. But if you care to know what I observed while down on that   
miserable little planet, then I suggest we stop playing games!" Her eyes   
challenged the figure on the throne, her voice dripping with displeasure.  
  
The shadow shifted, red eyes narrowing. "Indeed." A flicker of red light   
illuminated the wave of a gloved hand. "Very well. Transform if you wish."  
  
A knot formed in her stomach, hearing in his tone that she'd perhaps pushed   
a bit too far. Without another word she once again closed her eyes, allowing   
the black energy to wash over her, rubbing out the effects of her disguise.   
When the light dissipated, a vibrant young woman replaced the hunched old hag,   
honey colored hair cascading in golden curls down her back, to just above her   
knees. Amber eyes sparkled with youthful vitality, but held wisdom beyond the   
twenty some years her body portrayed.  
  
"This is much better," she said, her hands smoothing the soft fabric of her   
dress over the gentle curve of her hips, ruby lips turning up in an enticing   
smile. "Thank you, my Lord."  
  
The red eyes fastened on hers, glittering coldly. "Now. Report."  
  
The woman bit back the snide remark that played on her tongue, knowing better   
than to push the limits any further. 'Damn him and his one track mind,' she   
thought bitterly, the smile sliding from her lips.  
  
"Our plans are working out perfectly. The citizens are scared, not knowing   
how to handle the attacks," Golden eyes shimmered with dark amusement. "And   
the royal guards aren't fairing much better in trying to figure out how to   
handle the aftermath."  
  
"Excellent. You see? A one track mind has its uses." Red eyes regarded her   
with cool interest. "What of Serenity?"  
  
Another biting remark screamed to be released, but she swallowed it, careful   
to bury it deep within the recesses of her mind where even he could not reach.   
With a sigh she looked at the man who ruled here, a mischievous smile creeping   
onto her lips.  
  
"Serenity is a coward, a weakling; she nearly fell apart at the mention of a   
few innocent facts about the latest attack and the current state of her   
precious city." Amber eyes shimmered with dark pleasure.  
  
The shadow laughed, red eyes focusing on her. "Knowing you, my dear, your   
comments were anything but innocent."  
  
She smiled. "Perhaps not, but is it my fault this so-called monarch cannot   
handle the reality of the current situation?" A deep laugh rose from her throat,   
golden eyes fixing on his. "The poor thing was actually crying as I was   
taken away. I could hear it in her voice." The woman paused for a moment.   
"But what I heard is not as important as what I saw in her mind."  
  
The shadows swirled, the voice dry. "Indeed."  
  
The smile quickly slid from the woman's ruby lips, her eyes narrowing at   
her shadowy watcher. Sighing, she resigned herself to accepting that this   
would not go in the direction she wanted. Best to humor him before his   
patience wore too thin.  
  
"Put simply, the little twit is scared. She's torn, trying her best to   
salvage the facade of peace that's she's constructed over her fair city.   
On the one hand she wants to protect them from danger that seems to have   
seeped into their midst, while at the same time wanting to keep things the   
way they were, with no indications that things are less than perfect."   
Thinking back to the look on the Queen's face, a smiled once again played   
on the woman's lips. "I am going to enjoy watching the queen and her crystal   
city fall apart at the seams."  
  
The shadow rose slowly, the light growing around it just enough to   
illuminate the flowing ebony robes that shrouded him and the golden   
circlet that rested just above those shimmering red eyes. "Perhaps,   
but underestimating this woman is a mistake I will not make. She has   
bested too many enemies to be without courage or resources. She is off   
balance now, and we will do well to keep her that way, but complacency is   
not acceptable. I have not lived this long by considering my opponents less   
capable than they are, or allowing others to do so. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Crystal clear, my Lord." Amber eyes narrowed, mouth turning down in a frown   
as a hundred biting remarks poised ready on her tongue, but looking up at him   
she thought better of it. She could get away with a lot, but angering him was   
not a good idea under any circumstances. "I didn't mean to imply that we should   
let our guard down. I was simply sharing what I observed of her, nothing more   
than that."   
  
The man nodded, the glowing red eyes the only thing visible within the hood as   
he stepped down from the throne's dais and looked down at her. Almost as an   
afterthought, a gloved hand rose and stroked her cheek. The voice, when it spoke   
again, had lost some of its edge. "Good. By the way, my love, it's good to see   
you." Red eyes looked into amber, a gaze many would have flinched from. "Welcome   
home."   
  
The woman known as Siren smiled gently at him, her gaze meeting his without fear   
or question. "Thank you, my Lord." She leaned in slightly, her eyes softening and   
the smile returning to her lips. "I'm glad to be back. That planet does nothing   
for me, although it does hold some beautiful treasures."   
  
The red eyes glittered with amusement. "Indeed. I'll have to see about obtaining   
some of them for you." With the ease of long familiarity, dark gloved hands slid   
around her waist and pulled her gently into the folds of the dark, billowing robes.   
  
Siren sighed happily as he embraced her, golden eyes sparkling. "I think I'd   
like that very much, my Lord."   
  
Soft laughter rippled over her, filled with dark promise. "Good."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The atmosphere of the briefing room was tense, filled with frustration and   
questions best left unasked at the moment. The Senshi seated around the table   
sat in near silence, watching the view screen at the head of the room. The   
expressions on the faces of those gathered in the room ranged from utter disgust   
to horrified shock.   
  
As the images faded and the lights rose, bathing stressed faces in soft light,   
all eyes turned expectantly toward Endymion for further details and instructions.   
Rei noted with sadness the pained expression on his wife's face where she sat   
beside him, her fingers playing idly with a pen.   
  
Endymion leaned back in his chair, looking over the group as he gathered   
himself to speak. "What you saw is just a sample." Reaching out, the King   
lightly tapped the sheaf of reports in front of him. "In the past week,   
we've had more crimes reported than even before the founding of Crystal   
Tokyo. Murder. Arson. Theft. Fraud."   
  
The King paused, and a voice spoke from the other end of the table, quiet   
and calm. "You forgot rape, sire."   
  
Ami scowled slightly at Mark's addition to the King's list of crimes,   
remembering all too well the battered young woman she'd seen brought   
into the palace infirmary just this morning; the make-shift hospitals   
outside the palace were quickly overflowing with people seeking both   
medical attention and shelter.   
  
"Not to point out the obvious, but what are we supposed to do to stop this?"   
Uranus asked, her tone filled with frustration. "The attacks, the bombings,   
those we can find the cause of, but these are simple crimes! These are the   
type of things the police are supposed to handle, not Senshi."   
  
Rod cleared his throat gently. "Uranus, when was the last time you saw a   
policeman?"   
  
"That's not what I meant!" Uranus snapped, hazel eyes fixing on Rod. "What   
I meant was that this is not something that we, as Senshi, are used to and   
possibly even equipped to handle. When was the last time you saw one of us   
fight against something that wasn't reeking with negative energy and bent   
on destroying the world?"   
  
Rod flinched, taken aback, but Mark's voice softly broke into the   
confrontation. "Perhaps that has been your mistake, Lady Uranus."   
  
"Our mistake-!"   
  
"Haruka, stop." Neptune glared at the sandy haired woman whose words   
immediately died on her tongue.   
  
"Mark, what you don't seem to understand is we have no way to fight against   
these type of crimes. Our powers are useless. I mean we can't very well go   
and use them against humans; they'd die." Jupiter explained softly, emerald   
eyes regarding the man with quiet patience.   
  
Mark's eyes hardened. "I fail to see why you can't."   
  
"Because, as she said, they would die." Rei repeated, shaking her head sadly.   
  
"And if the other choice is allowing such events to continue unhindered?"   
  
"We will not use our powers against humans, no matter what their crimes!"   
The Queen's voice was firm, her gaze rising from the table before her. "I   
will not allow it."   
  
Mark leaned forward as though about to press the point, then sat back and   
smiled grimly. "Very well, your majesty. Then perhaps you'd care to tell   
us what you will do about this?"   
  
Pluto's eyes turned to him, hard and warning. 'Watch it, Mark,' she   
said in his mind, seeing the anger flashing in Uranus' eyes and the way   
a few of the others shifted uncomfortably in their seats.   
  
"Perhaps someone else has some more information for us first, before we   
start proposing solutions." Setsuna spoke up, her eyes not leaving Mark's.   
  
Mark's eyes were calm, but his voice in her mind was anything but. 'They   
haven't the first clue how to deal with this. They'll cripple themselves   
by their own morality, and what good will it do them then?' But he subsided,   
leaning back in his chair with a quiet nod. "Very well."   
  
Serenity's eyes regarded Mark, no anger in them, realizing for the first   
time since he appeared that he was not like the rest of them, that he worked   
with a different purpose and with different standards. She smiled weakly at   
him, meeting his eyes. "I can understand your frustration, Mark. You're not   
accustomed to how we deal with the problems we're presented with. After all,   
you have been in a self-proclaimed isolation for nearly a millennia."   
  
Serenity took a breath, her eyes hardening slightly, her tone taking on the   
edge of a leader who will be heard. "I will urge you not to condemn us for   
our reactions or our solutions. It is clear, to me at least, that we do not   
all work under the same umbrella of morals and ethics, but we will have to   
find a way to make our two different trains of thought, if not coincide, at   
least able to work together. Without that unity, a unity upon which the very   
heart of this group is based, we will truly have nothing."   
  
The Queen felt all eyes in the room on her, all of them waiting for her to   
continue, to lead them. Taking a deep breath she began. "One of our biggest   
problems with the new threat is that it seems to be extremely widespread as   
well as extremely varied, presenting us with several dilemmas with which we   
must deal. Therefore, we will divide our forces to concentrate on smaller   
portions of the problem, and in doing so they will become easier to handle   
and, with any luck, easier to control."   
  
"First and foremost is returning the sense of security that's been so rudely   
ripped away from the city. In order to do that, we will have to retrain,   
regroup and reassign the royal guards. They will once again return to patrolling   
and protecting the streets of Crystal Tokyo as they did when the Black Moon   
attacked nearly a millennia ago." Serenity's eyes met Jupiter's, Uranus', Rod's   
and Nathan's. "You four will be in charge of reorganizing and retraining the   
guard so that they will be prepared to handle the new threats, so that they   
will be able to stop and detain the citizens guilty of committing crimes. I   
will leave it up to your judgment whom will take on what tasks, but I urge   
you do so wisely. Those of you that are strongest with weapons and combat   
teach the guards, those of you that are better suited for organizing them,   
for putting their services to the most efficient use focus on that. I know   
that the King will make himself available for aid as you need it."   
  
Serenity turned her gaze toward Rei, blue meeting violet. "Rei, you, Michiru,   
Alexis and Ami will be in charge of making sure that Crystal Tokyo's defenses   
and surveillance systems are far beyond our standard protocol. I don't want us   
to be arriving on the scene after the crime has already occurred; I want us   
there as it starts. I put my faith into the hands of our resident geniuses   
and inventors to come up with state of the art equipment so that we will once   
again be able to get this city under control. Rei and Michiru, I want the two   
of you to assist, but your task is more far reaching. I want you two to be on   
constant alert, using the innate powers you both possess to track those enemies   
which technology cannot. I urge you to seek out the services of the other seers   
within the walls of Crystal Tokyo as well as beyond if need be. I do not want   
anything that is not human and that has an ounce of negative energy flowing   
through it allowed with in the city without our full knowledge.   
  
"Ami, while I want you and your husband to work on the surveillance systems,   
I also have another task for you. I need you on top of organizing our medical   
staff to handle the sudden surge of injuries they are facing. You are a superb   
physician, and in a time like this your services needed. You have an affinity   
for organization and getting things done efficiently, and I know you will be   
able to accomplish the task before you. I am putting Saturn and the Princess   
in your employ, both of them more than capable of helping you handle the   
overflow of injured people."   
  
Serenity's eyes moved to the pale Senshi of death and rebirth. "Hotaru,   
I know you possess the power to heal physical wounds, and that is part   
of the reason I am assigning you to handling the wounded. However, I do   
not want you over-using your powers. I am putting the decision of when it   
is necessary for you to intervene by anything other than conventional   
means up to you and Ami. Only if it is necessary will you heal them, and   
even then you will do enough so that traditional means will be able to   
finish the job. Other than that I want you and Chibi-Usa to help take   
care of and handle the scared and hurt people that have been flooding   
our clinics. I know it will not be an easy task, but I trust that you   
will be able to handle it."   
  
"Now we are still faced with the task of calming the frayed and torn   
nerves of those citizens that are watching the world around them go   
completely mad. Most of these people were not alive for the attack   
of the Black Moon and have not seen anything like this save for in   
textbooks. Because of this, we need to reassure them by more than   
just actions that we have everything under control, that their normal   
lives will indeed be returned to them. Minako and Sol, I realize this   
is a large task to set solely on your shoulders, but in my opinion you   
are the two best able to handle it. You are both admired and trusted   
among the citizens, and therefore have an advantage when it comes to   
calming their fears. I expect you to observe, plan and institute   
whatever you feel is necessary to keep our people calm in the midst   
of everything that is happening around them. The King and I are at   
your disposal for whatever appearances you feel would be helpful in   
remedying things."   
  
Serenity was silent for a moment and then she turned her gaze to the   
Time Senshi and her lover. "Setsuna, you I have a special task for,   
one which will blanket several different areas. I want you to assist   
in setting up surveillance as much as you are able, watching is something   
at which you've had many millennia of practice. I also want you to help   
Minako and Sol in observing the people, once again your watcher skills   
coming into play. Finally, you are often times able to see things that   
we all miss, things we do not pick up on. I want you to keep your eyes   
open and come to me with any suggestions or advice you feel would be   
helpful in getting my city back under control."   
  
Serenity paused for a moment, her eyes falling on the black knight whose   
gray eyes pierced hers. "Mark, because your talents and specialties are   
still something of a mystery to all of us, I ask you to lend your services   
where you think they would be most helpful. I will not assign you to any   
single task, mainly because I have the feeling that you have much to offer   
us and I urge you to do so."   
  
Mark rose with a liquid grace, nodding smoothly to the Queen. "Very well.   
A pleasure as always, majesty." With a quick bow he strode swiftly from the   
room, leaving the meeting without a glance to either side.   
  
Nathan cast a look after him, leaning over to whisper to Minako softly.   
"That is a man in a very bad mood."   
  
"Sets, not to knock your choice in men or anything, but does he ever   
lighten up? Is he always this rude?" Haruka asked, raising an eyebrow   
in her friend's direction.   
  
"Haruka!" Michiru snapped.   
  
Alexis spoke from his seat, voice quiet. "He does have a point. He's   
raised the question of what we do to stop criminals. Will we use lethal   
force if necessary? Incarcerate them? These are questions with which we   
will have to deal, and soon. Hell, we don't even have a court system   
right now."  
  
Rod snorted. "True, but the man has the subtlety of a gut-punch."   
  
"That doesn't give him the right to act this way! He just walked out   
of here. It's almost like he could care less if he worked with us or   
not!" Makoto replied, shaking her head. "He just ... left."   
  
Rod cocked his head at his soulmate, sudden realization flashing in   
his eyes. "Makoto, what did you just say?"   
  
"You heard me. I said he gives off the impression of not caring if   
he works alongside us or not. If he's to be part of this court, part   
of this team, that cannot be an issue." Makoto's voice was firm.   
  
Endymion spoke up, voice soft. "Perhaps Makoto, you assume more loyalty   
is needed than is truly there." The King turned, eyes meeting the Time   
Senshi's across the table. "Am I right?"   
  
"Hai, perhaps." Setsuna's eyes moved around the table, wondering how best   
to explain her lover to them. "Mark has always been different-"   
  
"You could say that again!" Haruka mumbled, drawing a burning glance from   
Neptune.   
  
"He has always been different," Setsuna continued, "from the rest of the   
Knights and Senshi. He's a harsh realist; like myself he's seen too many   
kingdoms rise and fall at the hand of evil to think that things could ever   
be simple or predetermined." Setsuna paused for a moment, as if considering   
whether or not to continue. "Also, unlike those of us now gathered in this   
room, Mark is not bound by loyalty to the crown; his duty is not to serve   
and protect the royal family."   
  
Rod's eyebrows snapped up. "What?"   
  
"What do you mean, Setsuna?" Rei asked, looking questioningly at the Time   
Senshi's. "If his loyalty doesn't belong to Serenity, then where does it lie?"   
  
Pluto sighed. "Mark's knighthood, his powers, were bestowed upon him long   
before the rise of the Moon Kingdom, before there was a royal family for   
him to pledge his loyalties to." Setsuna smiled. "To put it in perspective,   
he knew me while I was still mortal, before I was handed the Key to the Gate   
which I now guard."   
  
Alexis's eyes widened. "That would make him ... ancient."   
  
Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "And what would that make me?" she laughed, smiling.   
  
"Timeless," Ami quickly answered, smiling slightly toward her husband.   
Alexis blinked, hiding a small smile.   
  
Setsuna's smile faded, once again focused on the task at hand. "In that   
life we were lovers; we existed for each other and nothing more. Then I was   
chosen, taken to the time Gate and introduced to my destiny." Setsuna paused,   
sighing. "It wasn't long after that I was hurled headlong into my first battle,   
the first test of my worth as the Time Senshi." Setsuna fell silent for a moment,   
wondering if she should continue but knowing it was too late to stop. "To put it   
simply, I was nearly killed. My skills were not what they needed to be to face a   
monster of near god-like proportions. Somehow, to this day I'm not sure how, Mark   
managed to get to me at the Time Gate and threw himself into the fight. He saved me.   
In doing so, he lost his life.  
  
"As I mourned over his death, and began to realize just what the title Eternal meant,   
my creator, my father Chronos, came to me. I have a far reaching memory, but even I   
cannot remember exactly what happened in those few moments while the god who came   
with Chronos worked his magic on my lover. All I know is that when it was over, Mark   
stood as you see him today. As we sat there in each other's arms, both shaken and   
not quite sure what was going on, Pluto explained the method behind his madness.   
Since Mark was so willing to sacrifice his life for me, willing to give up the   
precious years he would walk as a mortal on Earth to save me, one who would live   
until the end of time, he would make the perfect protector." Setsuna bit her lip.   
"Mark's purpose, his sole purpose, the thing he was brought back to life for, is   
me. Everything else is merely something he chooses to do to fill his time. He was   
part of the Silver Millennium, the Moon Court, because I was. He helped to defend   
the Moon because I fought with my every breath to protect it. He died at the Time   
Gate because I would have given my life to keep it safe. He's here because I am,   
and there's nothing more to it."   
  
Silence fell around the table, eyes looking from one to another without finding   
anything to say. Finally it was Endymion who broke the silence. "But he is   
willing to help us now."   
  
"He's never been unwilling, Majesty. He's just never cared much either way,"   
Setsuna replied with near brutal honestly. "He will do it because he knows   
that I will not allow this city to crumble; he will do it because he knows   
that I have strong ties to the people in this room. He will do it because   
he knows that I must keep the Time Stream secure, the future safe, and that   
means the continuation of Crystal Tokyo as we know it."   
  
"Setsuna, I think I speak for many people in here when I say it has been   
apparent from the start that Mark works under a different set of morals,   
and now motivations, than the rest of us here," Serenity's voice was soft,   
her eyes regarding the green-haired woman. "However, we will work around   
that, and I trust you enough to believe that when you say he will assist   
us he will. I will say right now that we may not always like his methods,   
or appreciate the ways in which he tries, but we will give him the   
opportunity." Serenity smiled. "After all, if you trust him with your   
life, then I am more than willing to trust him with protecting Crystal   
Tokyo and the lives of those I love."   
  
A heavy silence fell over the room, no one quite sure what to say. Setsuna   
smiled, rising from her seat in a fluid movement oddly reminiscent of her   
husband's silent grace. "I thank you for your trust, Majesty, and I hope that   
the rest of you deem me worthy of your praise, because if not the loss will   
be greater than you could imagine." Setsuna nodded and exited the room,   
leaving behind a room of stunned faces much as her lover had.   
  
"Of course we trust you, Puu," Chibi-Usa whispered, watching her friend leave.   
  
"Hai, we do." Serenity confirmed, smiling at the Princess. The Queen's eyes   
lingered on her daughter for a moment and then turned back to the awaiting   
Senshi and Knights. "Now, if the King doesn't have anything more to add, I   
suggest you go attend to the tasks I've presented you with so that we will   
have things under control before they get any further out of hand."   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Mark took the stairs down from the conference room three at a time, teeth   
clenched in silent frustration. They just didn't see it. They couldn't   
understand that the illusion they'd constructed was coming apart around   
them and that there was nothing they could do to stop it, not any more   
than they could stop the sun from rising.   
  
Mark hit the bottom of the stairs at a brisk trot, heading out towards   
the central courtyard. He turned the corner and found himself walking   
into a small crowd of guardsmen that filled the plaza. The men turned   
to look at him, noting the direction from which he'd come and his dress.   
One of them grinned slightly. "So, what'd they tell you about the assembly?   
Some new rebuilding project?"   
  
Mark turned, eyes icy with restrained anger. "You haven't the first clue   
about what you're going to be up against."   
  
The big guardsman snorted, tapped the spear in his hand. "I'm a Lieutenant   
in the Royal Guard. There's nothing we can't handle."   
  
Mark's lips pulled back in a cold smile, temper slipping. "You couldn't   
even handle me, fool, much less what you'll come up against."   
  
The guardsman growled, voice hard. "Challenge!"   
  
Setsuna had left the meeting with the sole purpose of tracking down her   
husband and talking to him; she had sensed his frustration when he'd left   
so abruptly and she didn't want to leave him like that for long. Rounding   
the corner, magenta eyes scanning the yard she heard a low voice say   
something. Stopping for a moment, she listened as things in the courtyard   
grew steadily worse.   
  
Mark's glaive flashed up, moving to guard him as his eyes sparked. Perhaps   
a lesson was in order. "Acceptance."   
  
"Shimatta!" Setsuna whispered, immediately recognizing Mark's harsh tone.   
Moving closer, concealed by a high shrub, Setsuna watched as the men faced   
off.   
  
The guardsmen moved back around them, forming the traditional dueling circle   
around the two men. Mark moved in a slow circle, watching the other man shift   
and bring his spear up to guard. "Tell me about your family, guardsman. I want   
to know who to send the doctor's bill to."   
  
The guard snarled, then lunged forward with his spear in a brutal downward   
swipe aimed to take Mark off his feet. Mark caught the guard's spear point   
between his glaive blades, then slammed him in the face with the heel of his   
hand. The guard staggered back, loosing his grip on the spear as he clutched   
his now bleeding nose. Mark smiled grimly, sticking his glaive into the earth   
as he advanced on the guardsman. The man went for the dagger at his side, and   
Mark spun around in a roundhouse kick that sent the weapon flying. "Oh, I forgot   
to mention. In some places, people fight with their feet too."   
  
The man came up swinging, lunging at Mark with a devastating uppercut that hit   
exactly nothing as Mark ducked in and hit him in the stomach with a series of   
punches that folded him over like a puppet with its strings cut. "Hands, feet,   
rocks, bottles, sheer damned will." He gave the guardsman a fraction of a second   
to recover, then caught him in the side with a snap-kick that staggered the other   
man. "You see, they're warriors. You? You're just a glorified security guard."   
  
Mark stepped back from another combination of blows, leaving the other man   
reeling. "I could be generous and knock you out with a real punch. Let you   
brag to your drinking buddies about it. But, I'm not in a giving mood." With   
a single swift motion, he backhanded the other man across the face. The   
guardsman staggered backward, and then slowly toppled to the ground as his   
eyes rolled up into his head. Mark snorted, pulling his glaive up and brushing   
it off before stalking from the circle of stunned guards.   
  
Setsuna watched for a moment as the guards first watched slack-jawed as Mark   
walked away and then moved to their fallen comrade's side. Taking a second to   
make sure the guard was indeed still alive and breathing Setsuna then blinked   
out of existence, reappearing a moment later several feet in front of Mark.   
  
Mark's lips pulled back in a slight smile. "Hello, love."   
  
Her eyes met his from where she leaned against the trunk of a great oak.   
"Hello. Keeping busy, I see?" Setsuna nodded in the direction of the guards.   
  
Mark shrugged. "The guard needed a lesson in his own limitations."   
  
"So that's what the point of that little exercise was," Setsuna raised an   
eyebrow, her smile widening. "Did you have to be so ... harsh? Those men   
aren't used to your form of constructive criticism or your teaching methods."   
  
Mark shrugged. "He's not likely to forget anytime soon, now is he?"   
  
Setsuna sighed, shaking her head. "True, perhaps, but instilling fear into   
the guards' minds is not what Serenity had in mind when she asked for your   
assistance."   
  
Mark's lips twisted. "The guards need to have some fear instilled in them.   
They're soft, convinced they can take anything and anyone. That attitude   
will get them slaughtered against a real enemy." Meeting her eyes, Mark   
pointed back to the man on the ground. "I could have killed him easily at   
any time in that exchange. He needs to learn to respect the enemy or he'll   
guarantee his own death and the deaths of those depending on him when he   
comes up against someone who isn't interested in leaving him alive to learn.   
Besides, I'm not responsible for what Queen Serenity had in mind."  
  
Setsuna looked at him seriously, stepping forward and placing her hand   
on his arm. "I'm sorry, dear. I know why you're doing it, and I know you're   
right. It's just that these men, no matter how well trained, no matter how   
elite, have never had to face true battle. They need to be trained, they   
need your guidance; don't alienate them so much so that when it is time   
for them to turn to you, they're too scared to do so."   
  
Mark gave her a soft, almost sad smile. "I'm not the one they need to   
turn to. Let them go to Nathan or Uranus if they wish. Me? I'm just a   
walking lesson in reality."   
  
Setsuna smiled. "You're also a better warrior than both of them put   
together and you know it. The Queen did not ask you to assist because   
she wanted to give you something to do; she did it because she can sense   
your strength. I know working with others is not your strong point,   
but I'm asking you not to shut them out because they're not up to par.   
Instead, help get them to where they need to be, preferably without   
killing them."   
  
Mark gave her a half-smile, raising a hand in mock surrender. "All right,   
all right. I get the point, Sets."   
  
Setsuna smiled. "I knew you would, my dear." Setsuna's eyes were drawn   
past him and toward the circle of guards, seeing Makoto, Haruka, Rod and   
Nathan walking up with worried looks on their faces. "Oh dear." she   
whispered, wincing as Haruka's eyes met hers.   
  
Mark's lips curled slightly. "I think I may take my leave. Care to come with me?"   
  
"I'd love to dear, but I've got some damage control to take care of first."   
Setsuna said with disappointment, frowning slightly. "I'm going to stay here   
and clean up some of this mess." Setsuna's lips curled into a smile. "When   
I'm done, however, I'll find you so that you can thank me for my efforts."   
  
Mark gave her a half-smile, nodding slightly. "I'll do my best. Later,   
m'love." With a flicker of shadows, he was gone. Setsuna watched Mark   
go and then turned back toward the group of guards only to see Haruka   
marching toward her. Smiling gently at the blonde, she waited for her   
to get closer before speaking.  
  
"Something wrong?" she asked, meeting Haruka's hazel eyes.  
  
"Where'd your coward of a husband go?" the blonde growled, meeting the   
Time Senshi's gaze.  
  
"Coward?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow, looking at Haruka with mild   
amusement. "Mark is many things, but coward is not one of them."  
  
"What do you call attacking one of our own men just to show his   
superior fighting skills?" Haruka pressed, fuming.  
  
"I call it doing what's necessary to show those boys over there that   
they're not invincible just because they carry the title of Royal   
Guard." Setsuna said, her voice calm but her eyes hard.  
  
"Setsuna, he went beyond that." Haruka said, shaking her head. "He's   
obviously not thrilled to be working with any of us."  
  
"Perhaps, but I think it's more that his ways, his methods differ   
greatly from yours, Haruka." Setsuna explained. "Your ways, your   
methods seemed just as harsh and alien to the Inner Senshi when you   
and Neptune first appeared to them."  
  
"Hai, but...."  
  
"But nothing. They felt much the same way about you as you do about   
Mark. They didn't know if you could be trusted, but Sailor Moon was   
willing to give you a chance. She saw past your talk of missions and   
sacrificing the innocent, and saw that you were fighting for the same   
thing. She's done the same with Mark, asking him to help where he feels   
he can."  
  
"Well you can tell him to stay away from the guards." Haruka mumbled,   
turning away from Setsuna's gaze.  
  
"I do that, and you might lose the most valuable asset you have."   
Setsuna's tone was slightly annoyed, drawing Haruka's eyes back to   
hers. "Give Mark a chance, don't shut him out just because you don't   
agree with how he works. He didn't survive alongside me because he   
was a fool; he survived because he is perhaps the best warrior we've   
ever worked with, and I urge you not to forget that."  
  
"Sets, I'm sorry. He's just-"  
  
"If you won't trust him based on his merits, then trust him because I   
am asking you to, as your fellow Senshi, as your friend. I would not   
ask you to do anything that would place this city in danger."  
  
Haruka looked at Setsuna nodding slowly. "Okay, Setsuna, you've made   
your point. I'll try to see past his arrogant, frustrating and annoying   
exterior, but only because I trust you. Not because I trust him."  
  
"Haruka, for your sake I hope that changes," Setsuna said sadly. "I   
hope for the sake of this city that you and the others learn to trust   
him as I do." With that Setsuna turned and disappeared through a portal,   
leaving Haruka to think about her parting words.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Ami blew a strand of blue hair out of her face as she worked on stitching   
up a boy's forehead. The child was part of the newest group of victims that   
had been brought in to the clinic. He was one of the less injured, but she'd   
already done all she could for the others.   
  
"Ami-san, did you need any help?" Chibi-Usa asked, peeking around the curtain   
of the cubicle.   
  
Ami smiled up at the girl, her blue eyes weary. "That's okay, Princess,   
I'm almost done here."   
  
Chibi-Usa nodded quietly, leaving Ami to finish her task. As she made her   
way through the hallways of the hospital she couldn't help but shudder.   
There were so many people that had been hurt, so many they had tried to   
help, and far too many that had died. She had yet to see any of the victims   
die, but she could clearly hear the pained cries of their surviving family,   
and that chilled her to the bone. She did not like seeing this many people   
so horribly hurt.   
  
"Chibi-Usa?" Hotaru smiled when she saw her friend round the corner, but the   
smile was short lived when she saw the look on the girl's face. She could   
tell this was hard for the girl, but she didn't know what to say to make it   
better. 'I just hope there aren't any more attacks too soon We all need some   
time to recover.'   
  
The door of the hospital slammed open, a haggard orderly leading in a rush   
of stretchers. "New arrivals! Critical injured!"   
  
"Shimatta!" Hotaru whispered as the victims poured through the doors, her   
violet eyes turning from the mass of injured people coming in to Chibi-Usa.   
Chibi-Usa stood there with a look somewhere between denial and frustration   
on her face as she watched the scene pass her by. She made no move to help,   
her eyes riveted to the results of the latest attack on her city.   
  
The first man in the door was dying on the stretcher, rent nearly in half by   
the blow that had laid his chest open. Behind him came a woman, already dead,   
who'd obviously bled to death in transit; the blood was running down her arm   
and onto the floor in a steady stream. The next three in the door were all   
writhing in pain, severely burned and shuddering uncontrollably from nerve   
damage of some kind. The next woman in the door's neck hung at an unnatural   
angle, obviously broken. The man who followed was gurgling through a crushed   
throat, slowly drowning in his own blood. The medics carrying the next stretcher   
began to move around the corner, and the man on it screamed in pure agony as his   
shattered collarbone brushed the door. Everyone flinched, but there was no time   
to tend to him now.  
  
Ami hurriedly finished off the knot on the boy's stitches and came into the   
hallway just in time to see the other doctors begin work on the newest delivery   
of patients. She was about to go lend her assistance when she saw Chibi-Usa, her   
face ghostly white, as she took in the nightmarish scene before her.   
  
'Gods!' Ami cursed silently, remembering the Queen's orders to keep the Princess   
as far away from this type of scene as possible. 'Damn it, this is a hospital and   
we're in the middle of a war; how am I supposed to keep her away from this?'   
  
Ami shook her head, knowing that the Queen had the Princess's best interests in   
mind. "Chibi-Usa, I need you to go back there and stay with that young boy I was   
with. He's had a knock to the head and I want you to make sure he stays conscious."   
  
"But all these people..." Chibi-Usa looked at Ami uncertainly. She knew that the   
medical staff would need help trying to save this number of wounded. "I want to   
help!"   
  
"Chibi-Usa, I am asking for your help," Ami said softly, her eyes locking onto   
the girl's. "I need to go in there and can't stay with that boy. I need you to   
watch him for me. Please, Chibi-Usa."   
  
"Hai, I'll go sit with him." Chibi-Usa nodded slowly, her eyes going from Ami   
to Hotaru. She felt like she was deserting them when they needed her help, but   
Ami seemed so insistent.   
  
"Thank the gods." Ami sighed as the girl went down the hallway.   
  
"Ami?" Hotaru looked at the blue-haired woman questioningly.   
  
"What?" Ami turned to Hotaru, then shook her head. "No time right now, there   
are people in there that need our help."   
  
Hotaru nodded, taking one last look as Chibi-Usa disappeared into the cubicle   
before going to help the doctors save those that could be salvaged.   
  
Three hours later, one of the doctors sagged against the table and looked up   
at Ami from the patient they'd been working on. "She's gone. Vital signs   
negative, brain activity flat-lined"   
  
Ami nodded silently at the doctor, taking a moment to note the time of death   
on the woman's chart. Raking her fingers through her hair, Ami sighed as she   
added the woman's file to the pile of thirty other victims that had not made   
it through the latest attack.   
  
"Ami, how badly were we hit?" Hotaru asked, putting her hand on her friend's   
shoulder. She'd seen so many victims that she'd lost track of who survived   
and who lived.   
  
"One survivor." Ami shook her head. "Only one, out of all those." Ami   
motioned toward the gurneys lined up along the far wall, the blood stained   
sheets covering the victim's faces. "I want to know what did this!"   
  
Hotaru nodded, gently leading Ami out into the hallway for some air, to get   
her away from the death. The two women stood there in silence for a few moments,   
then Hotaru spoke.   
  
"Ami, why didn't you allow Chibi-Usa to help? We probably could have used her -"   
  
"Queen's orders, Hotaru-chan," Ami saw the confusion on the girl's face.   
"Serenity doesn't want Chibi-Usa dealing with more death and destruction   
than is absolutely necessary. She made me promise."   
  
"So I'm here to be baby-sat?" Chibi-Usa's voice caused both women to turn   
toward her, their mouths dropping in surprise.   
  
"N-No, Chibi-Usa, that's not what I-" Ami started to protest but she was cut   
off by anguished cries coming from the exam room. All three women rushed in,   
their eyes falling on the lone person who had somehow survived the brutal attack.   
  
The man was wild eyed and staring, scanning the room as though expecting to   
be torn apart at any moment. His shattered arm and shoulder were in their   
respective casts, but his multiple broken ribs creaked with his breath.   
"Gods, where am I?"   
  
"You're safe." Ami said quietly, moving beside the bed and checking the   
man's vital signs carefully. "You're in the hospital right now."   
  
The man's eyes fixed on her, calming a little. "An attack. I was   
injured ... how badly?"   
  
Ami frowned, looking seriously at the man, considering how to answer him.   
She'd seen the scans and she knew he was slowly bleeding to death internally,   
and there was nothing they could do to repair the amount of damage that he had   
suffered. She sighed. "Your arm's broken in several places, most of your ribs   
have been either broken or completely shattered, and there may be some internal   
bleeding."   
  
"But he's going to be okay, right?" Chibi-Usa asked, moving beside Ami and   
taking the man's free hand gently in her own.   
  
"We hope so." Ami replied, eyeing the Princess. "We're going to do our best   
to make sure you pull through this, sir."   
  
The man looked into her eyes, a faint smile on his face. "I'm dying, aren't   
I?" It wasn't really a question.   
  
Ami nodded sadly. "I'm sorry."   
  
Chibi-Usa looked up at the water senshi, her eyes wide in disbelief.   
"Can't … can't Hotaru help him? Can't we do anything?"   
  
"I can't, Chibi-Usa." Hotaru said, grabbing her friend's arm and pulling   
her away from the bed. "You have to understand that not everyone can be   
saved." Hotaru whispered, her eyes focused on the Princess. 'Please forgive   
me, Chibi-Usa.'   
  
Ami closed her eyes. "Can you tell us what happened?" she asked, praying   
that Hotaru could calm Chibi-Usa down.   
  
The man gave her a sad smile. "If I'm going to die, I might as well give   
you that much." He nodded toward the row of broken bodies shrouded in white.   
"They deserve it, at least." Taking a deep breath, he leaned back and closed   
his eyes.   
  
"I was at the Night Star art gallery. I often go there on my lunch breaks;   
it's something to settle your mind after working all morning. I was standing   
there looking at paintings when the young woman and her daughter a few feet   
away started to argue. I turned to look at them, and that's when it happened.   
Space just seemed to tear open next to them, and maybe a dozen creatures came   
boiling out of the gap.   
  
"Most of them were small, about waist-height, but with massive jaws and huge   
talons. They reminded me of some sort of attack dog. The woman and her daughter   
were killed almost at once." The man's voice broke, and he paused for a moment   
to gather himself before continuing. "The things literally ripped them to shreds."   
  
"Then he came. A creature about man-height, perhaps a bit taller. Thin and long   
limbed, but with this odd carapace sort of thing about him. I used to study   
biology, and he reminded me of some of the beetles we used to dissect. He   
blasted several of the people nearby with lightning bolts almost immediately;   
you could smell their skin charring."   
  
Chibi-Usa gasped, her head shaking, unable to comprehend the horror the man   
spoke of; she could only see how horribly it affected him, and it scared her.   
She made to move to his side, to offer him some sort of comfort or reassurance,   
but Hotaru held her arm firmly and gently shook her head.   
  
The man took a deep breath. "One of the creatures hit me about then; I think   
that's when my arm broke. Everything after that is hazy, but I distinctly   
remember him picking up art pieces in those clawed fingers of his, taking   
or discarding them at a whim. The screaming went on for a long time. He   
finally got tired of gloating, and the creatures seemed to gather when he   
called them. He said it had been a good trip, and that the next one would   
be even more enjoyable, and then they were gone. The wall exploded a few   
moments later."   
  
His voice finally began to fail, dropping to a blood-soaked whisper.   
"I got hit by a piece of breaking podium early on. I think they assumed   
I was dead." A half smile pulled up the corner of his lips. "They were   
almost right. I am going to be dead, but now you know and I hope you can   
pay them back for us." He looked up into the Princess's eyes, voice seeming   
to draw strength from some inner reserve to force out the words. "Promise   
that?"   
  
"We'll do our be-" Ami began, trying move between the man and Chibi-Usa,   
but she was pushed out of the way.   
  
Chibi-Usa pulled away from Hotaru, moving once again to take the man's   
hand. She felt like her heart was being shattered as she looked into his   
eyes, eyes that had seen more horror than they deserved. "I promise we   
will do everything in our power to make sure these monsters pay."   
  
The man's eyes held hers, but they were empty now. He had died before   
she had the chance to speak.   
  
Hotaru's hand went to her mouth when she realized the Princess held the   
hand of a dead man, her eyes darting to Ami looking for direction. Ami's   
gently took the man's hand from Chibi-Usa's, laying it on his chest. When   
she turned to look in the girl's eyes she saw tears shimmering within them,   
looking to Ami for answers, for comfort.   
  
"Oh, Chibi-Usa..." Ami whispered, taking the girl in her arms and holding   
her tightly.   
  
"We have to find out who's doing this!" Chibi-Usa sobbed, the image of the   
man's blank stare burned into her memory. "We have to stop this before any   
more die!"   
  
Ami nodded. "We will, I promise." Ami carefully turned the Princess and   
began to lead her from the room, planning on paying Makoto and the others   
a visit. "We'll get the ball rolling immediately."   
  
Hotaru stood there in the empty exam room for a few moments, her gaze   
focused on the body of a man she could have saved. She knew it and Ami   
knew it, and she feared with all her heart that Chibi-Usa knew it as   
well. She could have healed him enough to stop the bleeding and give   
him another chance at life, but the cold reality was she could not waste   
the energy on him. She was working with the knowledge that things would   
more than likely get worse before they got better, and she needed to have   
the strength to heal those that could make a difference, those that could   
have an impact on the battle ahead. She couldn't save them all, but gods   
did she wish she could have saved this one, if only to save Chibi-Usa the   
pain she'd just experienced.   
  
"Sleep well, sir. May you find the light that awaits you," Hotaru whispered,   
reaching out and closing the sightless eyes that still stared up at the ceiling.   
Then with a small sigh she moved to follow Ami and Chibi-Usa.   
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Special thanks goes out to all those that have made this possible, including  
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fits and correcting the little mistakes we'd never pick up.  
  
Additional thanks to my wonderful beta readers - Lena and Mako the 38th. Your   
questions and feedback helped me make this even better. And of course, thanks  
to all the readers that have writen and commented on Fallen Stars. You're part  
of the reason we do this. ^.~  
  
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	4. Part Two - Chapter 2

------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko  
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.  
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and  
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Fallen Stars  
by  
Lady Archanna & Archmage  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Part 2  
Chapter 2  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Makoto! Haruka!" Ami called, raising her hand to draw the women's attention   
from the guards they were working with.   
  
"Ami!" Makoto called out as she flipped one of the larger guards over her   
back with a swift motion, laying him out flat on the ground, a scowl on his   
hard face. She smiled down at him, offering her hand. "Never underestimate   
your opponent based on stature, Jarred. It can lead to much worse than just   
a case of injured pride."  
  
"Hai!" Jarred growled, taking the offered hand and getting to his feet,   
casting a sharp glance towards his friends who stood off to the side,   
smirks on their faces.   
  
"You men continue to practice your hand-to-hand techniques while I meet   
with the Lady Mercury. Then when I'm done we'll see what you've really   
learned." Makoto said seriously, turning and walking toward Ami, Hotaru   
and Chibi-Usa.   
  
Haruka scowled, watching her guards as the sprinted across the training   
field, wondering how a group of Royal Guards could be breathing so heavily   
after only twenty laps through the obstacle course she and Nathan had set   
up for them. Shaking her head she turned from them and walked over to the   
others. Nathan followed quietly, eyes scanning the new group and noting the   
strain in their face. The flippant remark died on his lips when he spotted   
the look in Chibi-Usa's eyes. 'Oh, no.'  
  
"Ami, Hotaru, Princess." Haruka said, nodding at them as she noted the   
serious look on all their faces. "What's wrong?"   
  
"You're aware that there was another attack, ne?" Ami asked, the two   
women nodding in response. "We've just spent the last three hours   
dealing with the latest casualties."   
  
"How badly were we hit?" Makoto asked, grimacing inwardly.   
  
"Thirty-one dead..." Ami replied.   
  
"Thirty-two." Chibi-Usa corrected, Haruka and Makoto looking at her and   
then Ami questioningly.   
  
"Gomen, she's right. Thirty-two dead in the hospital, around twenty more   
dead before anyone reached them."   
  
"My gods! How did they do so much damage? Didn't the patrols get there to   
stop it?" Haruka asked, her hand clenching into a fist.   
  
"It was over too quickly for our men to react, and it was in one of the few   
areas we have yet to wire with our imaging cameras and early warning systems."   
Ami said, looking at the ground. "Alexis is supposed to be doing that later   
today."   
  
"Damn it to hell!" Makoto growled. "How are we going to make any headway   
when they keep staying three steps ahead of us? How are we supposed to do   
anything when they keep avoiding all the precautions we're taking to keep   
them at bay? How are we going to do anything when we don't even know what   
it is we're fighting?"   
  
"But we do know what we're fighting, or at least know what he looks like   
and some of how he works." Hotaru spoke up, moving beside Ami, seeing the   
dismayed look on the genius's face.   
  
"How?" Haruka asked, her voice less biting than it had been before.   
  
"There was one victim who was brought in still alive, and once we had him   
stabilized enough so that he regained consciousness he was able to tell us   
what happened."   
  
"I want to speak to him. We need to-" Haruka began.   
  
"You can't." Chibi-Usa whispered, meeting Haruka's hazel eyes. "After   
he told us what happened he ... he died." Chibi-Usa's voice cracked,   
snapping like an axed chord.   
  
Makoto looked at the pink-haired girl with a small frown and then at   
Ami, emerald eyes expressing awareness of the Queen's command. She could   
tell the water senshi felt horribly for what the Princess had seen, but   
that would have to be dealt with later.   
  
"Ami, what do you want us to do?" Makoto asked finally, wanting to get   
things moving before anyone fell apart from the strain.  
  
Ami looked at the brunette with relief. "I want you and the others to   
organize a small team to go investigate the scene. From the description   
we received I believe we should be able to pick up some readings, but I   
don't want anyone to go unprotected."   
  
"Why not? The enemy has yet to attack the same place twice, Ami." Haruka   
pointed out.   
  
"I know, but the man told us he heard our enemy say that they would be   
attacking again and I am not going to take a foolish chance and send   
people out there unprotected." Ami's voice was firm.   
  
"Of course not," Haruka answered quickly, backing up a step as she was   
taken by surprise at the harshness in the woman's normally quiet voice.   
  
"Nathan, Rod and I will get a group of guards together immediately. You   
can finish the drills here." Makoto said, catching the Knight's eye.  
  
Nathan shook his head. "I'm in. I want a crack at these bastards, too."  
  
"Let me know when you're ready, I'll be coming along to try and gather   
some readings." Ami's voice was less harsh, almost back to its normal   
tone.   
  
"Hai, of course." Haruka nodded. "You'll be hearing from us shortly, Ami."  
  
With that the two women walked back toward the training grounds, talking   
back and forth, deciding how many men to bring. Nathan moved with them,   
mostly quiet aside from the occasion suggestion. Ami felt a sense of   
relief, knowing that things were in capable hands.   
  
"Hotaru, Chibi-Usa, I've got to go find Alexis. I need to speak to him   
about reconfiguring our scanners." Ami smiled, turning to the girls.   
  
"Okay Ami, we'll be okay." Hotaru replied. Chibi-Usa simply nodded,   
watching silently as Ami walked away.   
  
"I'm going with them." Her voice was quiet, and Hotaru squinted at   
her, unsure if Chibi-Usa had even said anything.   
  
"What?"   
  
"I said I'm going with them," Chibi-Usa repeated, meeting her friend's   
violet eyes.   
  
"Chibi-Usa, I don't think that's necessary." Hotaru protested.   
  
"I think it is." The Princess's voice was hard. "I am the Princess of   
Crystal Tokyo. More importantly, I am Sailor Moon and it is my duty to   
protect this city. I will not simply sit back and let them all handle   
it just because they think I'm too young, or because they don't want   
to put me in danger!"   
  
Hotaru looked at Chibi-Usa, not knowing how to respond her proclamation.   
Part of her knew that the Princess was in the right, she was Sailor Moon   
and if this were the Tokyo of the twentieth century she would be expected   
to take part in this investigation. But this wasn't the twentieth century;   
this was Crystal Tokyo and it seemed that everyone was doing their best to   
spare this Sailor Moon the pain and nightmares that plagued the Sailor Moon   
that now sat on the throne as Neo-Queen Serenity.   
  
Chibi-Usa grew tired of waiting for Hotaru's response, the pity in her violet   
eyes biting into the Princess's heart. Without a word Chibi-Usa turned and   
took off in the direction of the palace to get her brooch. She would be needing   
it shortly, whether the others liked it or not.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Nathan looked quietly around the room, silently going down a quick checklist   
in his mind. Looking around he saw Haruka and Makoto, Rod in tow, enter the   
room. He nodded toward them, knowing that between their skills and those of   
the guards they themselves had hand-picked specifically for this mission,   
they would be fine. His lips twisted into a bitter smile. At least he hoped   
they'd be. The guards weren't battle-tried, and he wouldn't like to have to   
depend on them if it came down to a nasty fight in close quarters.  
  
"Have the men been briefed?" Makoto asked, moving beside Nathan and looking   
at the maps of Crystal Tokyo spread out on the table before him, the areas   
of the attacks circled in dark red.   
  
"Well, Rod and I know what's going on," Nathan replied, a smile playing on   
his lips.   
  
Makoto glared at him, motioning towards the guards that stood on the other   
side of the room, awaiting their orders. "Not you, them!"   
  
"Oh, them," Nathan said in mock understanding. "I was waiting for everyone   
to arrive before we did that."   
  
"Do you want to find out what it's like to be on the receiving end of a   
lighting bolt, Nate?" Makoto offered, a dark smile on her face.   
  
"Nathan, cool it," Rod warned, stepping next to his wife and putting his   
arm lightly around her waist.   
  
"Speaking of everyone, has anyone seen Ami?" Haruka asked, her eyes   
scanning the room and realizing the blue-haired genius was nowhere   
in sight.   
  
"She'll be here," Rod replied, his eyes scanning the maps that outlined   
the areas they would be covering.   
  
Makoto was about to ask if anyone had informed the water senshi that   
they were almost ready to leave when rather angry voice floated through   
the open door. All eyes turned to see Ami, face flushed and her brow   
creased in frustration, walking down the hall with an equally upset   
Princess following closely on her heels.   
  
"Princess, this is absolutely unnecessary. I need you to understand   
that," Ami said, her voice pleading and at the same time annoyed as   
the stepped into the room.   
  
"Ami, what's going on here?" Makoto asked, looking from the frowning   
Princess to the flustered Ami.   
  
"Nothing is going on," Chibi-Usa replied harshly, turning to face the   
others, her eyes hard. "I was simply telling Ami that Sailor Moon will   
be accompanying you on this mission."   
  
Rod did a quick double take. "Um, I see…"   
  
"I'm assuming she's not referring to the Queen, is she, Ami?" Makoto   
asked, looking pointedly her.   
  
"I wish to the gods she was." Ami sighed, shaking her head.   
  
"No, Lady Jupiter. I'm referring to myself." Chibi-Usa snapped back.   
"I am, after all, Sailor Moon and it's my job to make sure this city   
is safe."   
  
Rod's jaw dropped another few fractions of an inch. "Right...."   
  
"I would urge you, Lord Jupiter, not to take what I'm saying so   
lightly." Chibi-Usa's eyes flashed toward him. "I am quite serious."   
  
Rod blinked, closing his jaw and looking over at his soulmate as his   
mind-voice took on a slightly pleading tone. 'You want to handle   
this, dear?'   
  
"Princess," Haruka stepped forward, looking at the angry girl.   
"Sailor Moon's assistance really won't be needed on this mission,   
right, guys?"   
  
"Haruka's right, Chibi-Usa," Makoto said calmly, suppressing a smile   
when she caught the look on Rod's face. "This is more of an information   
gathering mission."   
  
Nathan spoke up softly. "Why?" The single word brought the conversation   
to a crashing halt, but Nathan looked steadily into Chibi-Usa's eyes as   
though searching for an answer.   
  
"Why what, Nathan?" Ami's voice was far from gentle.   
  
Nathan, uncharacteristically serious, deliberately ignored her and   
focused entirely on Chibi-Usa. Chibi-Usa met his gaze, her eyes   
challenging him. "Why what, Lord Mars?"   
  
Nathan spoke softly, voice gentle. "Why do you want to come so badly?"   
  
Chibi-Usa looked at him for a moment, as if trying to decide the   
motivation behind the question. Looking at him, it appeared that   
he seemed genuinely interested in her reasons, something Ami and   
the others hadn't even bothered asking about. "Because I want you   
to treat me as an equal. Not as Chibi-Usa, not as the Princess, but   
as Sailor Moon. I want to be given the chance to fulfill the duties   
that title carries with it." Chibi-Usa's words were still heated, but   
some of the anger had left her eyes, replaced instead with determination.   
"And I made a promise which I can't keep if I'm made to remain behind the   
Palace walls."   
  
Nathan looked at her, eyes tightening. "Promise?"   
  
"Yes." Chibi-Usa's tone was grim. "A promise to a dying man that I'd make   
sure we made these monsters pay for what they've done."   
  
"Oh, gods..." Ami whispered, shaking her head in disbelief and frustration.   
Makoto and Haruka simply stared at the Princess in stunned silence.   
  
Long heartbeats passed before Nathan spoke softly, voice hard. "Very well,   
then. Get ready to leave. We go as soon as the briefing's done."   
  
"Chibi-Usa's presence is not necessary on this mission, Nathan. I thought   
we'd already agreed on that!" Ami pointed out, her eyes catching his with   
a hard glare.   
  
Nathan looked into her eyes, voice tight. "She gave her word. I, for one,   
will not void the promises of my princess."   
  
"Nathan, we're not suggesting that she go back on her word," Makoto   
stepped in, trying to diffuse what was turning into a very delicate   
situation.   
  
"You're not?" Chibi-Usa spoke up, her voice heavy with annoyance.   
"How am I supposed to keep my word when you want nothing more than   
to keep me locked up in the Palace?"   
  
Nathan's voice was soft but firm. "I said she's coming, and for once   
I will not put up with any dispute." Turning to Chibi-Usa he pointed   
to a chair. "Take your seat, my lady."   
  
"Nathan!" Makoto growled, her eyes narrowing. "This can't happen. We   
cannot bring Chibi-Usa with us...."   
  
"Fine then you won't." Chibi-Usa said flatly. Rod blinked, head snapping   
to the Princess. 'That was too easy....'   
  
"Chibi-Usa?" Haruka looked at the girl, sensing something lying beneath   
her emotionless words.   
  
"Chibi-Usa, the Princess won't be burdening you on this mission,"   
Chibi-Usa said calmly. She waited a moment, seeing a small flicker   
of relief flash in Ami's eyes before she continued. "Sailor Moon,   
however, will be." Without another word Chibi-Usa held her brooch   
above her head, and in a shimmering of lights and stars she was   
transformed into Neo-Eternal Sailor Moon. She smiled at Nathan,   
turning from the others and taking her seat at the table.   
  
Nathan gave the others a quiet, grim smile. "Let's get on with it, then."   
  
"This cannot happen...." Ami whispered, her eyes settling upon   
Chibi-Usa, no, Sailor Moon where she sat. Looking at the girl, she   
still felt the urge to keep her safe, but at the same time, sitting   
there, she looked so much like the Sailor Moon Ami had fought alongside   
in Old Tokyo. 'Maybe the Queen is wrong.'   
  
"Fine then, let's not waste anymore time." Haruka said firmly, eyeing the   
confident image clothed in the fuku of the Moon senshi. 'It seems the   
rabbit fills her mother's shoes rather well.'   
  
Makoto simply frowned, realizing the danger having Chibi-Usa along with   
them could cause. Sailor Moon or not, they would all be watching her   
carefully, ready to do whatever was necessary to stop harm from befalling   
her. She silently took her seat as the briefing began.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Nathan took the point as they worked through their fourth ruin of the day,   
scanning the wreck as they entered. "What have you got, Mercury?"   
  
Mercury looked up at Nathan, her blue visor sliding away from her eyes as   
her fingers worked deftly on her small computer. "More of the same; traces   
of non-human genetic material, but nothing substantial enough for me to get   
any definitive readings."   
  
Rod leaned out of the wrecked door next to her. "All right, tactics change.   
Nathan, you seeing what I am?"   
  
Lord Mars smiled slightly. "Yes. The art site was one of the ones that   
contributed to the memorial exhibition, wasn't it?"   
  
Rod nodded. "Yes."   
  
Nathan turned to Ami. "The other major contributors that still have their   
collections in place?"   
  
Ami tapped a few keys on the slim-blue computer and quickly pulled up a   
listing of all the galleries donating their works to the show. She frowned,   
her lips tightening. "There's a list of seven major contributors; all but one,   
the Moonlight Dreams gallery, have been ransacked and destroyed."   
  
"Why are we talking about art galleries?" Neo-Moon asked, walking up beside the   
water senshi and seeing the serious look on her face. "What's going on?"   
  
Nathan smiled grimly. "Our opponent seems to have a taste for art. Especially   
expensive art."   
  
Rod nodded. "So if we can get to the next gallery before he does...."   
  
"We might be able to get the upper hand," Jupiter completed her husband's   
thought, joining the group. "So what are we waiting for?"   
  
"Let's get going, we don't want to waste anymore time than we already have,"   
Neo-Moon said, turning from the group and heading toward the gallery.   
  
"That she did not get from her mother." Makoto commented dryly, shaking her   
head as they called the guards toward them and briefed them on the change in   
plans.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Space warped and tore, a void blacker then night opening in the heart of the   
gallery. A tall being in long purple robes hissed as he stepped into the room,   
violet eyes scanning the room hungrily as clawed fingers toyed with the gems   
embedded in his rich purple robes. "Excellent, but rather empty."   
  
A quartet of small, six-limbed creatures slid by the hem of his robe, fanged   
mouths working as their four clawed hands clenched and unclenched spastically.   
The green-shelled creature looked down at his servants, amused. "Smell something,   
my pretties?"   
  
"You might say that." Lights snapped to maximum brightness in the dim gallery,   
illuminating two armored men and four fuku clad senshi flanking their opponent.   
Nathan smiled wolfishly behind the long slit in his Greek-style helm. "I don't   
believe we've been introduced. I'm Lord Mars, also known as Dragon, and I don't   
take kindly to those who attack our city!" The long spear spun up into guard   
position, point gleaming wickedly.   
  
The tall creature turned toward them, lipless mouth pulling back over   
needle-sharp teeth beneath the flattened, reptilian nose. "Indeed." With   
a vicious gesture, he sent the four creatures clustered around him charging   
straight at the Senshi.   
  
"What are these things?" Jupiter cursed, jumping out of the way just as one   
of the creature's razor sharp claws whirred by her face.   
  
"I don't know, but I'm going to blast them into..." Uranus growled, the blade   
of her sword striking the deceptively ridged looking outer skin only to go   
skittering away.   
  
"Don't!" Mercury cried, her visor moving across her face. "Arctic Blast!"   
Mercury called, an orb of ice surrounding the two creatures nearest to her   
and sealing them, frozen, inside. "You blast them, you blast us!" she pointed   
out grimly.   
  
The green creature laughed, a sound like grating metal. "Quite right. Attack!"   
With a crackle, another half-dozen of the vicious little things charged from   
the open portal and rushed them.   
  
Rod snarled something profane, bringing his war-hammer down on an enemy hard   
enough to crack its shell entirely. "The damn things are hard to kill!"   
  
"What the hell-!" Uranus looked up just in time to see one of the scaly   
monstrosities bearing down on her. "Space Sword Blaster!" Uranus called,   
aiming her attack at the creature's beady little eyes and falling backwards   
from the force of the blast as the demon exploded in mid-attack.   
  
Nathan cursed violently as he was showered with black blood and carapace   
fragments. "Careful with that! Place that shot wrong and you'll blow us   
to hell, too!"   
  
"This is not the time to doubt my accuracy, Dragon," Uranus grunted, getting   
to her feet and grimacing.   
  
The green-shelled creature laughed mockingly, letting loose a solid blast of   
lighting that Nathan barely blocked with his spear. "Fools! You can't win. My   
Lord will crush your city in the palm of his hand."   
  
"He'll have to get through us first," Neo-Moon growled, stepping from behind   
Jupiter who'd taken a position protectively in front of her.   
  
The creature snapped about, eyes burning with new lust. "Ah, the Princess!   
My Lord will reward me well for this...." With a complex gesture, a ball   
of lightning crackled forth toward Chibi-Usa.   
  
"No!" Jupiter felt the familiar crackle of electricity even as the attack   
left the monster's hands. Without thinking she launched herself into the   
girl, feeling the searing heat and burning energy scorching her legs as   
she and the Princess fell hard to the ground. She cursed loudly, the   
white-hot pain bringing tears to her eyes.   
  
"Jupiter!" Mercury cried out in horror, stunned by the sheer speed of   
the developing crisis. "Arctic Blast!" She cried, blanketing the room   
in a thick mist and buying herself precious moments to reach her fallen   
friends.   
  
Rod's eyes burned as he stepped over his wife, the hammer singing in his   
hands as he battered the enemy aside. "Dragon!"   
  
Nathan caught his friend's yell, and moved left with a single swift sidestep.   
"Ready, Thunderer!"   
  
"Go!" In tandem, twin columns of lightning and a wave of fire lashed out   
towards the enemy.   
  
The green creature raised a hand, and energy crackled off a suddenly visible   
shield as fire and lightning slammed into it. "I am Avarice, you fools! You   
only waste your energy in these pitiful attacks."   
  
"Jupiter?" Neo-Moon breathed, pulling herself from under the fallen senshi.   
The look of pain on the brunette's face and the fact that she was in so much   
pain because she'd put herself in danger to save the Princess triggered   
something within Neo-Moon's heart.   
  
"We are not fools, and you will not win!" Neo-Moon declared, getting to her   
feet, to the shock and frustration of her guardians. "I am Neo-Eternal Sailor   
Moon, and I will not allow you, or your so-called master to destroy this city   
and hurt the people I care about!"   
  
Red eyes narrowed, a scepter appearing in her hands, the crystal embedded on   
the top, glowing fiercely. "Crystal Moon Eclipse!" she called, a wave of   
energy rushing at Avarice, engulfing him in a column of gold and silver   
energy that filled the room with blinding light that burned the smaller   
creatures to dust.   
  
Avarice flinched, feeling his shield start to crackle and shiver. 'Dark   
gods, but she's strong!' With a crackle of closing space he stepped back   
into the portal and vanished as it snapped shut behind him.   
  
"Oh, gods," Neo-Moon gasped, the scepter clattering to the floor as she   
fell to her knees, the world exploding into a rainbow of colors.   
"W-What's wrong?"   
  
"Princess." Mercury moved to the girl's side, helping her to sit on the   
cool floor. "You over-exerted yourself. You expended a lot of energy   
trying to defeat him...."   
  
Nathan was at her side in a moment, kneeling beside his princess. "Will   
she be all right?"   
  
Ami nodded slowly, picking up the scepter and placing it Neo-Moon's hands.   
"She'll be fine, she just has to get used to the amount of energy her attack   
requires. It's still new to her."  
  
Chibi-Usa looked at the scepter, still warm from the attack, she then looked   
up at Nathan and Mercury with her voice coming in ragged gasps. "Then I   
killed him, right? I mean so much power, he's gone for good?"   
  
Rod gave her a grim smile from where he knelt beside Makoto. "Don't   
count on it."   
  
"But I thought you said...?" Neo-Moon looked at Mercury questioningly.   
  
"You used a lot of energy, and yes, that is one powerful attack, but   
he's a powerful adversary. Its going to take a lot more than that to   
get rid of him," the blue-haired woman said frankly, noticing the   
flicker of frustration in the younger Senshi's eyes.   
  
Rod looked up at Ami, helping his wife gently to a sitting position.   
"Ami, would you mind?"   
  
Ami nodded, leaving the Princess and taking a look at Jupiter's wounds.   
"Jupiter, these are pretty bad. You should have been more careful," Ami   
commented, taking a small vial out of a pouch on her hip, allowing a few   
drops of the liquid to fall into the wound.   
  
"I wasn't thinking about my safety, Ami," the brunette hissed as the liquid   
went to work at disinfecting the wound.   
  
Rod looked at her gruffly. "She wasn't the one who needed to be more careful."   
  
Chibi-Usa winced, Rod's words a stinging blow to her face. She blinked back   
tears from her eyes and slowly got to her feet, gritting her teeth as the   
world around her threatened to start spinning. "I'm sorry," she whispered,   
her eyes cast to the floor.   
  
Nathan winced himself, wishing he had a flip remark for this one. None came.   
After a long moment, he sighed and waved to Haruka. "Give Rod and I a hand   
with Makoto, Ruka. We need to get back to the palace and report as fast as   
we can."   
  
"Hai." Haruka nodded, moving to help them get the brunette off the ground.   
"I think a Sailor Teleport is in order."   
  
As the other's set to work, Ami snapped shut her computer and stood. "Well,   
it wasn't a total loss. I did manage to get some interesting readings, though   
I'm afraid it will take Alexis and I a while to figure out what they're telling   
us." She moved closer to the others, so that they could get back to the palace   
as soon as possible."   
  
"Princess, we're leaving," Haruka said, looking up to see the girl still   
standing there, an unreadable expression on her face. "Let's get back to   
the Palace."   
  
Chibi-Usa looked up, her mind reeling with disbelief. Not a single one of   
them had tried to tell her it wasn't her fault. No one tried to assure her   
that she needn't feel guilty. With a knot deep in her stomach she moved   
toward the others, fingering the scepter weighing heavily in her hands.   
She wondered if she truly was ready to be Sailor Moon, she wondered if   
she could survive without the protection of the Senshi. At that moment,   
she highly doubted it.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Molten magma lapped at the edge of the obsidian path that led across it,   
reaching hungrily for the ornate purple robes that hung about Avarice as   
he picked his way toward the tiny island that served as his master's private   
sanctuary. Long limbs and razor-edged carapace gleamed in the red glow,   
giving him a sleek beauty that would have stunned many. At the moment,   
however, he was too busy fighting down the gnawing fear that crawled about   
in his innards to take his usual pride in that. A summons to the master's   
presence was rarely good news.   
  
As he reached the island at the center of the burning lava, Avarice knelt   
with a tremor of fear leaking into his voice. "My lord?"   
  
"Avarice." The black robed man who stood at the opposite edge of the island   
did not turn to look at his servant, but his voice was razor-edged ice.   
  
Purple eyes downcast in slowly growing desperation, Avarice shifted nervously   
as the silence lengthened. "You called…?" The words died on his forked tongue,   
strangled by the icy silence that filled the room in spite of the molten heat.   
  
Long heartbeats later, the dark one began to speak with a whip-crack precision.   
"Do you have the first clue what you have cost me, servant?"   
  
Avarice flinched as though struck. "Master?"   
  
The voice went on with the quiet ferocity of a serpent's hiss. "You have cost   
me ten hell hounds, Avarice, but more than that you have cost me the shroud of   
anonymity I have been so carefully maintaining. By becoming predictable, you   
have given the Senshi an enemy to fight and shown them that they can win. Now,   
Avarice, what shall I demand of you in repayment?"   
  
The trembling redoubled as Avarice felt cold panic sink its claws into him.   
"My liege?"   
  
Ebony black robes shifted slightly as the other raised a gloved hand. "Enough.   
You will turn over all your stolen goods to Daemeon, and will be removed from   
any further visits to Crystal Tokyo until I say otherwise. Clear?"   
  
"Sire!" The word was almost a shriek of pain as Avarice contemplated being   
stripped of his chosen prizes.   
  
A dark chuckle filled the air. "Perhaps you would prefer I reconsider your   
punishment?"   
  
Avarice jerked back as though scalded. "No, my lord."   
  
"Then get out of my sight."   
  
Without another word, Avarice turned and fled. Behind him, the red eyes   
looked out over the field of roiling lava. "So, Serenity. Now you think you   
know who we are. Perhaps it is time for you truly see just what you are dealing   
with." A black glove touched the golden circlet that hung around his hood,   
remembering the vision of those who had ambushed Avarice. "And to see what   
opposing me will cost you."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Serenity's footsteps echoed in the empty stairwell as she made her way   
upstairs to the conference room where the Senshi and Knights were gathered.   
Her eyes were hard and her mouth was fixed in a slight frown. As she pushed   
open the large double doors she found that everyone was already present,   
waiting for her. Endymion looked up from one of the two seats at the head   
of the table, meeting his wife's eyes from across the room. 'All present   
and accounted for, love.'   
  
Serenity nodded briefly at her husband, her eyes scanning the faces of the   
Senshi as they turned to her. All faces were serious, eyes showing frustration   
and signs of fatigue. She knew they'd all been working diligently at fulfilling   
her orders, but she also knew that all of them had yet to fully complete their   
tasks. As she moved through the room, her eyes drifting for a moment out the   
window that made up one of the walls of the conference room, she looked out at  
her city. There was something different about it indeed, a dull gray cloud   
seeming to have settled over it, dimming its shimmering beauty.   
  
With a small sigh Serenity took her seat. "I want to know what's going on   
out there." Her voice was calm, but there was an underlying hint of urgency   
behind her words. "I want to know what happened at that art gallery and what,   
if anything we gained from it."   
  
Alexis tapped the report in front of him. "Well, we did get a bit of a windfall   
in terms of data on our opponents."   
  
Nathan interrupted Alexis with a snort. "We nearly got our butts kicked, Alex.   
I wouldn't call that a victory by any stretch."   
  
"First, there was the initial attack on the Night Star Gallery." Serenity shook   
her head. "Even with all the precautions and protocol we've put into place that   
monster still managed to destroy the entire building, kill nearly a hundred people   
and get away unscathed. That is not acceptable under any circumstances. I understand   
that you are all working at this, and I know you're all putting great amounts of   
effort into it, but somehow we're still falling short."   
  
Rod winced at the Queen's tone. 'Here it comes….'   
  
"Second there was the 'information gathering' mission that Nathan, Haruka, Rod,   
Makoto and Ami were part of," Serenity's tone grew hard. "I would like to know   
how in the world it turned from that into an all out confrontation with a   
virtually unknown enemy in such a confined space where innocent people could   
have been injured?"   
  
Nathan took a deep breath. "I really wasn't expecting to find anything,   
initially. Once we knew the next site that might be hit, we thought we'd have   
surprise on our side. Apparently we were wrong; we managed to get the people out,   
but that was about it."   
  
"How can you have the element of surprise when your enemy is nothing more than a   
mystery to you? Nathan, you had no idea as to how he worked, whether or not he   
worked alone or how powerful he was. I'd say he had the upper hand before he even   
arrived." Setsuna spoke up from her seat beside the queen. "If the Princess hadn't   
been there, I doubt things would have turned out nearly as well as they did; I doubt   
any of you would be sitting here right now, unless by some chance the enemy had   
decided to allow you to live."   
  
Rod's voice was a growl when he spoke. "And what were we supposed to do, Sets?   
Sit back and let him hit the gallery unhindered? There wasn't time to call in   
the group and discuss it by committee."   
  
"Perhaps not," Setsuna met Nathan's eyes, disapproval clear in her voice,   
"but if I'm not mistaken, your communicators were working perfectly fine."   
  
Rod's teeth gritted. "There wasn't time, Sets. He could have arrived at any   
time, and calling for backup would have taken an hour to get up a response."   
  
"Then you should have let it pass." Mark's voice was soft but icy hard.  
  
"Let it pass?" Haruka sneered. "You mean we were just supposed to ignore a   
chance to possibly stop the enemy? To gather information on him?"   
  
Makoto shook her head. "If we'd let it go, more innocent people would have   
been hurt, and that's what we're trying to stop."   
  
Mark continued to speak softly with the grim force of a schoolteacher   
talking to a stubborn class. "And what did you accomplish? You saved a   
handful of lives, and in exchange you gave the enemy information that will   
almost certainly lead to the loss of more. You didn't think he was studying   
you, too? You don't think that someone smart enough to anticipate our moves   
like he has didn't find your little display of power useful?" Mark sat back   
with a bitter chuckle. "The next time will be harder."   
  
"We did what we thought was necessary," Haruka said through clenched teeth.   
  
"Then perhaps you didn't think things through as well as you should have,   
Haruka." Serenity said calmly, meeting the shocked look the blonde gave her.   
"Mark is right, you've handed our enemy information about us and we still have   
nearly nothing on him."   
  
Serenity's eyes narrowed slightly. "All you ended up with was a wealth of data   
that will take weeks to sort through and two injured Senshi." Serenity's eyes   
fell to Ami. "One of whom was not even supposed to be there."  
  
Endymion blinked at his wife. Even he thought she was laying it on a bit thick,   
and he agreed with her.   
  
Ami's eyes could not meet the queen's but fell to the table before her. She knew   
she'd let her Queen down by allowing the Princess to come along on the mission,   
and that knowledge stung. Nathan turned, meeting the queen's eyes as well. "I   
supported it in the first place, Majesty. If there is blame, it is more mine   
than any other's."  
  
"Serenity, the Princess's presence was not what lost us that battle," Makoto   
spoke, wanting to draw the Queen's attention from the blue-haired woman.   
"Besides, it was a unanimous decision to take her along."   
  
Serenity gave a wry smile. "So all of you agreed to disobey a direct order   
from your queen together?"   
  
Nathan took a deep breath. "In a word, yes."   
  
"I want to make one point perfectly clear from this moment on," Serenity   
began, her tone icy. "The Princess is not to be brought into any battle   
situations unless the King or I are there alongside her. True, she is Sailor   
Moon and she possesses within her the power to defend herself, but she is still   
learning to master those powers. There is no reason at all that she should be   
put into a situation where she is forced to over-extend those powers when there   
are fourteen able-bodied warriors that could be there within moments to help.   
I will not stand for it again, I will not allow her to be put into such danger   
when it is not necessary."  
  
"How dare you!" The Princess's voice caused all eyes to turn toward the door,   
a heavy silence descending over the room.   
  
"Chibi-Usa!" Serenity gasped, blue eyes meeting her daughter's burning glare.   
  
"Chibi?" Hotaru's eyes widened, sensing the deep seated feelings of anger and   
hurt surging through her friend. She bit her lips, waiting for the explosion   
she knew was coming.   
  
"First ... First you totally exclude me from this meeting, not even bothering   
to tell me about it. Then you use it as a means to tighten your control over   
my actions? Over the things I'm allowed to do?" The Princess stalked into the   
room, slamming her hands down on the far end of the table, directly opposite   
her shocked parents. "I want you to stop this! Stop trying to run my life!   
Stop trying to fix things that aren't wrong!"   
  
"Chibi-Usa, you don't understand." Serenity pushed her chair back, getting   
ready to stand.   
  
"Don't bother getting up, Mother. I want you to sit there and listen to what   
I'm saying this once." Chibi-Usa's tone caused the senshi to exchange worried   
looks, Setsuna's eyes focusing on the girl. Mark raised an eloquent eyebrow   
toward his wife, his face displaying a slight hint of surprise as well.  
  
"I want you to stop trying to protect me. I am not a child; I am not some   
glass figurine that needs to be kept from shattering. I thought you understood   
that when you gave me this," Chibi-Usa held up the brooch for all to see. "Was   
I wrong? Do you not believe I'm capable of handing the power that you, yourself   
handed to me on my birthday? Have you already forgotten your words, your reasons   
behind giving me this?"   
  
"Chibi-Usa that is enough!" Serenity's voice was hard, her eyes fixing on her   
daughter's. "You will stop this childish tantrum right now and wait to discuss   
this at a more appropriate time! I will not be forced to explain my motives   
here and now, not when there are other matters that need my attention."   
  
Chibi-Usa's lips twisted into a hurt smile. "I'm sorry, mother, I forgot how   
low I rank on your list of priorities. I'll leave and allow you to concentrate   
on things more worthy of your attention. When you're ready to talk about this   
with me, you can come and find me, because I will not be forced to come and seek   
you out like one of your little followers."   
  
"Small Lady!" Setsuna whispered, her eyes wide with shock. She'd never heard the   
girl speak with so much anger.   
  
Serenity could not speak; all she could do was look at her daughter, the hurt   
clear in her crystal blue eyes. She sat back in her chair, her fingers grasping   
the armrests tightly; she wanted to get up and run to her daughter, she wanted   
to wrap her in her arms and apologize for making her feel this way, but she   
couldn't. She couldn't give into this tantrum, she could not allow her mind to   
be changed by this display, not when all she was trying to do was protect her   
daughter, her one treasure.   
  
Mark stood, a single smooth motion. "My lady, it would by my honor if you would   
take my seat for the remainder of this meeting."   
  
Nathan rose a moment later, offering his own chair. Rod and Alexis's eyes met   
across the table, and almost as one stood to vacate their seats as well.   
Chibi-Usa stood slack-jawed, watching as one by one the Knights stood. A   
small smile of satisfaction tugged slowly at her lips when she looked up   
and saw the look of shock and anger rising on her mother's face. She did   
not, however, move to take any of the offered seats but waited for a   
reaction instead.   
  
"Gentlemen, you will please take your seats," Serenity instructed, her   
voice cold as ice as she rose from her seat as her eyes met theirs one   
by one.   
  
Nathan flinched as Serenity's eyes fell on him, but remained standing.   
Rod and Alex both looked from their friend to the queen indecisively,   
then elected to stay where they were. Mark just stood there with a half-smile   
on his face, waiting.   
  
Rei looked from Nathan to Serenity, her violet eyes wide with disbelief.   
'Nathan this is not the time for this!' she hissed in his mind, reaching   
over and placing her hand on his. 'Please!'   
  
Ami looked at Serenity and flinched. "Alexis..." she whispered, looking up   
at him pleadingly. Makoto, along with Haruka and Michiru simply sat there,   
silently watching with mild shock as things unfolded, hoping they did no   
escalate any more than it already had. They could not believe that the   
Knights would so easily disregard their Queen's direct order, but at the   
same time wondered if she was making the right decision.   
  
'Chibi-Usa….' Hotaru pushed slightly away from the table, wanting so badly   
to go to her friend, but Setsuna's eyes stopped her. The Time Senshi gently   
shook her head, indicating that the girl stay put.   
  
"I will say this once more. Knights, take your seats immediately." Serenity   
said, placing her palms down on the table and leaning forward. "I will not   
ask again."  
  
Nathan took a deep breath. "With respect, your majesty, I feel that the   
Princess should at least be present at this meeting. I beg your pardon for   
my insubordination, but I cannot in good conscience accept the decision   
to exclude her."   
  
Alexis spoke softly. "Nor I."   
  
"Nor I." Rod's grim addition was soft but firm as granite. Mark didn't   
answer at all. Indeed, his expression changed not a fraction. He did,   
however, remain standing.   
  
"Gentlemen, your Majesty, may I remind you all of something?" Setsuna's calm   
voice broke through the heavy silence that followed the men's declarations.   
"We are working under strict time constraints. The longer we spend quarreling   
amongst ourselves, the more time that leaves the enemy to strike."   
  
Serenity blinked, her eyes slowly moving toward Setsuna, still cold as ice.   
"You are right, Setsuna. This is not the time, nor the place for such a show   
of such utter and complete disregard for your Queen's orders." Serenity's   
eyes left Setsuna. "I will ask you gentlemen to once again take your seats,   
and the Princess to take hers."   
  
Serenity motioned toward the chair to her left as she sat down, her   
expression hard. "If anyone has a problem with those orders, then they can   
leave now and will be dealt with accordingly."   
  
The Knights paused for a moment, waiting for Chibi to start to move. As she   
did they all slowly slid back down into their seats. Chibi-Usa felt all eyes   
on her as she made her way slowly to her chair, lowering herself into it   
without a word.   
  
"Now, can we begin this meeting again?" Serenity asked, some of the harshness   
gone from her voice.   
  
Endymion tentatively tapped the table, trying to clear his mind of the shock   
that had left him totally floored by the argument between his wife and daughter.   
"Back to the subject at hand. What does our major problem with the enemy seem to   
be?"   
  
Alexis tapped the table slightly. "Our biggest problem seems to be our lack of   
data on his movements."   
  
Nathan snorted. "Our problem is that the bastard won't stand and fight, and won't   
challenge us directly. Just hit and run."  
  
Just as the last words left his mouth, the entire building rocked with a shock   
wave as a massive boom filled the room, echoing even through the built-in   
soundproofing. Pivoting, Endymion found himself staring through the now   
crack-webbed window out into a maelstrom of rising dust and debris form   
the city below. "Dear gods, that must have been big enough to wreck a city block!"   
  
"What the hell was that?" Haruka hissed, getting up from her seat, her eyes   
drifting toward the hellish scene beyond the glass with everyone else's.   
  
"It seems you're about to get your wish, Nathan," Setsuna said quietly,   
carefully regarding the scene outside.   
  
Mark whistled softly, impressed in spite of himself at the sheer size of the   
damage. "I think someone just threw down the gauntlet." Outside, the smoke   
curled upward like a beckoning hand.   
  
Without a word the Senshi and Knights slowly crackled into their battle   
forms, ready for whatever lay beyond the crystal wall of the Palace.   
Chibi-Usa hesitated a moment, then she picked up her brooch preparing   
to transform as well.   
  
"No," Serenity said flatly, her hand reaching and holding the Princess's   
in place. "Endymion, you and the Senshi and the Knights go see what in the   
name of the moon that was ... The Princess and I will be along shortly."   
  
Endymion winced at his wife's tone, but he knew better than to waste time.   
"On my mark. Three. Two. One. Mark." And in a flash of brilliant light, the   
Guardians of Crystal Tokyo were headed for battle.  
  
Chibi-Usa watched the others disappear in silence, and slid back silently into   
her seat, waiting for her mother's words. There was a knot forming in the pit   
of her stomach, and she knew that what was to come would be far from pleasant.   
  
Serenity looked down at her daughter, noticing that the girl refused to meet   
her gaze, wondering how much of it was anger and how much of it was worry of   
what was to come. Crystal blue eyes closed, and the queen took a deep breath,   
trying to calm the roiling mass of emotions bubbling within her.   
  
"You're angry with me, aren't you?" Serenity asked, her calm voice surprising   
both her and the princess.   
  
Chibi-Usa looked up at her mother, nodding slowly, not sure what to make of   
the question.   
  
"You're upset because you can't understand the motives behind my actions, am   
I correct?" Serenity asked, sitting beside her daughter, forcing their eyes   
to meet.   
  
"Not because I don't understand them." Chibi-Usa began carefully, resisting   
the urge to launch into another tirade of screaming. "It's because lately   
you seem to be a walking contradiction when it comes to me. One moment you're   
handing me this brooch, telling me I can use its powers to protect myself so I   
can fight in battle. The next you're hovering about me, forcing the other Senshi   
to baby-sit me, making them doubt my abilities."   
  
"Your abilities, your innate powers have never been doubted or questioned,   
Chibi-Usa. We all know you carry within you great power." Serenity's voice   
was calm but firm, wanting to get through to her daughter. "The problem is   
that your powers have not yet been tested, they have not been fully practiced   
as much as they should have been. Perhaps that is my fault for not encouraging   
you to use them, even just for practice. Maybe it was a mistake to make your   
training as a Senshi seem not as important as learning how to be a ruler of   
Crystal Tokyo, but it was done for your own good."   
  
"My own good?" Chibi-Usa's eyes flickered with anger. "How can you say that?   
Turning me into ... into something that needs protection, someone that is not   
able to use her powers, that was for my own good? Sheltering me from reality   
has not helped me, mother. If anything it has hurt me more than you could ever   
realize."   
  
"Chibi-Usa!" Serenity gasped, shocked at the harsh words. "I've never done   
anything to hurt you, and surely saving you the hardships of being a warrior   
has not damaged you! If nothing else it has saved you from the living nightmare   
that I and the other Senshi had to face when we were given our powers and thrown   
head first into our destinies. I've done everything in my power to save you from   
that trauma, that pain, and I will not be made to feel guilty about it!"   
  
"I'm not asking for guilt, mother. I'm asking for an apology and a chance to   
live my life the way I see fit." Chibi-Usa snapped turning away and looking   
out the window, noting that the dust had settled over the city and now blanketed   
it in a shimmering haze.   
  
"Dear princess, that is something that neither of us have been, or ever will be   
granted." Serenity replied, a slight bitterness in her voice.   
  
"What do you mean?" Chibi-Usa huffed, rolling her eyes.   
  
"I mean that we, as part of the bloodline of the Moon Kingdom, will never be   
afforded the luxury of living our lives as we please. The same goes for every   
Senshi that you call a friend; we are allowed to live our lives as best we can   
while remaining within the constraints of what destiny has laid out before us.   
Whether we want to face it or not, we are on a path and we don't have the choice   
of changing it."   
  
"You just don't want it to change!" Chibi-Usa's head snapped around, her red   
eyes hard. "You don't want to because you're afraid of what you'd face if you   
stepped off of the path that your precious fates have placed you on!"   
  
"What?" Serenity's eyes narrowed.   
  
"You're afraid that if you stepped off that path, if for once you did what you   
wanted, not what anyone else wanted or expected, but what you wanted your world,   
your life would come crashing down around you!"   
  
"How dare you!" Serenity's voice was cutting, but Chibi-Usa did not flinch.   
  
"I, on the other hand, have nothing in this life; there's nothing that I've seen   
on this path to hold me to it! I would gladly step off of it into the unknown   
just to taste what life has to offer me!"  
  
"Chibi-Usa, you don't mean that-"   
  
"The hell I don't, mother! You've always had the Senshi and father to hold you   
to your path. What have I got? I've got nothing! I've got people that look at   
me like something to protect. And I've been condemned to live my life alone,   
without Senshi, without anyone!"   
  
Serenity blinked, as if suddenly seeing her daughter's pain all to clearly,   
and wishing she had the words to take it away, wishing she could just make   
it stop right there, but she couldn't. She had to press on, to stop this   
before it snowballed out of control.   
  
"That is not true, and you know it," Serenity's voice softened slightly, as   
her gaze tried to capture her daughter's. "You will always have the Senshi   
and the Knights. They will always be there for you, no matter what. They all   
love you just as much as they love me, if not more. Besides that, you will   
always have your father and I, we will always be here for you. You will never   
be alone when you truly need us and our support. No matter what we will be right   
there beside you."   
  
Chibi-Usa sighed. "It's not the same...."   
  
Serenity opened her mouth to speak but stopped short, a worried look crossing her   
face. She closed her eyes and concentrated, then released a gasp.   
  
"They're in danger. We have to go," she said, standing up and looking down at   
the Princess. "We haven't the time to sort this through; the Senshi and the   
Knights and your Father are in danger."   
  
Chibi-Usa nodded, standing and taking her place besides her mother without a   
word. As they flickered out of existence, Chibi-Usa had to wonder if she was   
being brought along to help, or so that she could be watched.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Endymion flickered into being at the lead point of a phalanx made up of Senshi   
and Knights, all with weapons out and ready for battle. Before them rose a   
massive skeleton, the shattered mass of what had once been the Star Crystal   
Stadium rising before them. It had been beautiful once, one of the brightest   
stars in Tokyo's crown. Now it hung like a broken thing, an entire side blasted   
away and the others fragmented and leaning dangerously outward. The group spread   
out, advancing carefully toward the entrance with care.   
  
Venus and Jupiter exchanged glances, both warriors eyeing the massive crater that   
lay several feet to their left. It truly appeared that they were in the middle of   
a war zone. Jupiter's gaze drifted toward Mercury, the other woman's visor covering   
her eyes as she searched for any possible threats.   
  
"There's a lot of energy floating around out here." Mercury said, her voice   
reaching the others with a warning tone. "Be on the look out."   
  
Neptune nodded, her mirror clasped in her hand, though it had shown her   
nothing when she'd called upon it. She noted that even Uranus was tense,   
her fingers wrapped tightly around her sword. As they moved forward, Rod's   
eyes raked across the wreckage and caught a momentary glimpse of a being in   
long purple robes and with a familiar green skin. The creature waved and gave   
a mocking half-bow before slipping back into the wreckage. Rod snarled something   
profane and roared a challenge. "Avarice! Stand and fight, you coward!"   
  
Nathan pivoted with lightning swiftness to face toward the spot toward which Rod   
was looking. "Trouble, people! Watch yourselves!"   
  
The group moved forward swiftly, and as if in response there was a hideous shriek   
of stressed metal and glass as yet another section of stadium collapsed under its   
own weight.  
  
"What was that?" Mars asked, her eyes narrowing as she tentatively stepped toward   
the new wound in the side of the stadium.   
  
"That was our friend Avarice." Jupiter replied, her voice dripping with contempt.   
  
"He's the one we faced off with at the gallery," Nathan added, moving up beside   
his wife with spear at the ready in his hand. Mars looked back at him and nodded,   
not questioning any further. She could hear the tension and the caution in their   
voices. She'd seen what that creature had done to the gallery, and she knew he   
was not something to be trifled with.   
  
"So, are we going to sit here and contemplate our enemy, or are we going to   
follow him?" Uranus asked impatiently, wanting to settle things swiftly.   
  
"This is not the time to be brash, Uranus," Pluto commented, stepping up   
beside the blonde. "You saw what he's capable of, and you've already fallen   
into one of his traps; unless you wish to repeat that mistake, I suggest you   
restrain yourself."   
  
Hazel eyes flashed with annoyance, but she stepped down, looking toward Endymion   
for some direction. "So, Majesty, what is it going to be?"   
  
Just as the King opened his mouth to reply, his eyes snapped to his left where   
a bright flash of silver light was blossoming. Cerulean eyes met cobalt ones   
as the queen and princess appeared, both looking ready for a fight. One glance   
at the strained look on both women's faces told him that things were far from   
settled between the two. 'Is she ready for this?' he asked silently as Serenity   
moved toward him, Chibi-Usa lingering behind her.   
  
'I don't think the question is if she's ready. I think the question is,   
am I ready.' Serenity answered, moving to her husband's side and glancing back   
at the Princess.   
  
"What happened?" Neo-Moon asked as she moved toward the group.   
  
"We're not sure yet," Saturn replied, meeting her friend's eyes, "but we do   
know that there's more than likely trouble waiting for us on the other side   
of that wall."   
  
"Hai, she's right." Neptune agreed. "We've already spotted your friend   
from the art gallery."   
  
Red eyes flashed, first with trepidation then with determination. She   
would not let that monster best her again, and she wouldn't repeat her   
mistakes. "Well then, why don't we get this reunion started?"   
  
Serenity looked at her daughter and nodded, a knot of fear forming in   
her stomach. She could sense her daughter's desire to prove herself   
this time, she just hoped that it didn't lead her into a situation she   
wouldn't be able to handle. 'Its okay, love. We're here to make sure   
that doesn't happen.' The King squeezed her hand reassuringly before   
motioning for the others to start into the stadium.   
  
Carefully the Senshi moved forward, all of them aware that they could   
very well be walking into a trap; they slipped quickly into position,   
eyes scanning the rubble that had once served as a gathering place for   
all of Crystal Tokyo. The stadium resembled the ancient ruins of a Greek   
coliseum now, except this had not been sitting for hundreds of years   
unused but had been flattened within a matter of moments by a stunningly   
destructive force. A small shiver passed through Pluto, causing her grip   
to tighten on her staff as a flash of great pain flickering in wine-colored   
eyes. Her eyes looked first to the queen and then to Sailor Moon, both   
standing toward the head of the group, ready to face whatever came at them.   
  
'I don't think either of you are ready for it.' she thought bitterly,   
wishing for the ability to spare the group of warriors standing before   
her the trials they were to face but knowing she couldn't. 'I'm so, so   
sorry.'   
  
"Minna, something's coming-" Mercury's warning came even as the air   
around them filled with an acrid, roiling mist that stung their eyes.   
There was a moment of heat, and then the mist swept away to reveal what   
had been the heart of the stadium.  
  
In the center of the blasted field, rising clouds of smoke swirled away   
to expose a lone figure who floated slowly upward above the twisted wreckage.   
Long black robes swirled out in a shimmering arc, gloved hands crossed slightly   
in front of him as red eyes gleamed from within a shadow-filled hood. The   
acidic gases swirled about him in a roiling column that parted to let all   
the Senshi and Knights have a clear view.   
  
"Hello, Serenity."   
  
Serenity's eyes narrowed, her gaze meeting that of the stranger before her,   
her blue eyes hard. "So, you've finally risen from the shadows to face us   
yourself?"   
  
The voice from within the hood was soft, but echoed across the stadium with   
resonant power. "I thought it would do well to meet the woman whose city I'll   
be taking from her."   
  
"Excuse me? How dare you make such an insane claim? Who are you, that you   
believe you will actually accomplish such a arrogant goal?"   
  
The voice crackled with dark amusement. "I have more than a few names.   
I've been called God, Deathbringer, Master, Lord, and a thousand others.   
But for your purposes, you may call me as the residents of the last world   
who opposed me did." Red eyes burned fiercely. "Lord Reignfire." A laugh   
as mocking as a viper's hiss issued from within the hood, dark as a starless   
night. "You needn't worry, they won't object. They're all dead anyway."   
  
Serenity's hand tightened into a fist at her side at the sound of Reignfire's   
cruel and empty laugh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jupiter and Venus   
take a step toward her, their eyes trained on the figure before them, and she   
could sense Endymion's presence beside her. "The only thing I wish to call you,   
sir, is gone." Serenity replied, her eyes meeting his burning gaze. It felt like   
acid, but she did not flinch; she would not turn away.   
  
Reignfire threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, no, little queen. You'll have   
no such luxury." Red eyes lowered to burn into hers. "Not until you and yours   
have ceased to provide any amusement for me or my servants."   
  
"You bastard! How dare you make such presumptions? How dare you threaten us?"   
Jupiter growled, stepping up beside and slightly in front of Serenity.   
  
"We are not here for amusement. We are here to protect our world from   
monsters such as yourself," Mars' voice came from Serenity's other side.   
Serenity then realized that the Guardians were deliberately moving toward   
where she, the King and the Princess stood.   
  
Reignfire's voice dropped with mocking condescension. "I dare because I have   
the power to rule; I am afraid that if protection is what you aspire to, you   
are sorely overmatched."   
  
"Would you care to test out that assumption?" Uranus growled under her breath,   
drawing a sharp look from Sailor Pluto and a worried glance from Neptune, her   
aqua eyes snapping to look at her lover.   
  
"Reignfire, simply having the power does not mean you carry the ability to   
rule," Serenity spoke up. "It takes more than brute force to lead a society,   
a world."   
  
Red eyes gleamed fiercely. "Oh, yes. Cunning, ruthlessness, willingness to   
sacrifice; ruling takes quite an extensive resume. Of course, sometimes   
unqualified rulers do slip through. I'm sure your citizens could agree."   
  
Serenity flinched, feeling the tension in the air increasing tenfold. She   
could see the Senshi and Knights shifting, wanting to show this monster   
just how wrong he was, but they knew this was not the time to get trigger-happy.   
It was all too clear that this would not end peacefully, however much she wished   
it could.   
  
"Your hollow remarks ring as false as your claims, Reignfire. You don't know me   
or you would know that I give all I have to my people." Serenity said, her eyes   
suddenly catching a flash of midnight blue to her left.   
  
'Gods, be careful,' she sent to his mind, his intention to try and take   
out the enemy rapidly becoming instantly clear to her.   
  
Reignfire gave her a mocking smile. "Indeed, little queen? Then why do you   
shelter your daughter so? Would she not make a better warrior for your people   
than an ornament in your palace?"   
  
"My daughter will embrace whatever path destiny has laid of for her, sir, and   
I will not stand in its way." Serenity's voice rose in annoyance and anger.   
"Nor will I throw her to the wolves when she is not yet ready."   
  
Reignfire laughed darkly. "Indeed."   
  
In a sudden twist, Endymion abruptly finished bringing his staff up and   
launched a volley of high intensity golden bolts towards the side of   
Reignfire's chest. "Enough!"   
  
The energy bolts flashed home ... and vanished as they were absorbed by   
the energy shield Reignfire summoned with a flick of his hand. "Fool.   
You think to challenge me directly?" The voice was low, mocking. "Would   
you like to see who I brought along for a surprise?" As if in answer to   
a silent call, dozens of the creatures Rod and the others had fought at   
the Starlight Gallery rose from the rubble with claws gleaming, voices   
clicking and hissing as they snapped their jaws at the Senshi and Knights.  
  
Almost as one the Guardians turned, forming a loose circle around the   
queen as they faced the snarling beasts that rose to meet them. Grunts   
and gasps rose from the circle as they fought off wave after wave of   
the advancing creatures. Serenity's eyes focused on Endymion where he   
stood, so far from her and so close to Reignfire, and her heart twisted   
with worry. She didn't even notice as Chibi-Usa moved from behind her to   
join the Senshi until she heard the girl's cry. Her golden head snapped   
around, blue eyes wide as she watched Sailor Moon blast a creature into   
nothingness with her silver tiara as she stood protectively in front of   
a fallen Saturn. Hotaru's violet eyes were shut tightly, her hand covering   
a gash in her leg. "Chibi-Usa!" Serenity gasped, seeing two creatures   
advancing toward her daughter.  
  
One of the creatures lunged at Chibi-Usa, then screamed in agony as a   
razor-edged glaive blade ripped in under its carapace and tore it nearly   
in half. Chibi-Usa let out a cry of surprise as she fell backward, landing   
hard on the ground as Mark stepped in front of her. She looked up and saw   
Pluto standing beside her, and took the gloved hand offered to her.   
"Watch yourself, Small Lady." Pluto said, her eyes scanning the chaos   
ensuing around them.   
  
"I wi- Neptune!" Chibi-Usa's cry of warning came just as one of the   
creatures sank its claws into the other woman's thigh, bringing the   
aqua-haired senshi to her knees.   
  
Nathan grunted as he smashed the creature aside, covering Neptune as   
she fell. "Tighten up, people! If they get around behind us, we're dead!"   
  
Reignfire looked down in amusement as the Guardians tightened their   
formation, hovering just beyond the waves of creatures charging them.   
'Very impressive, but still insufficient.'   
  
"That is enough!" Serenity cried, her voice rising above the blasts   
and dying screams of the creatures. Her eyes focused on Reignfire.   
"This will stop now!" Serenity's hand rose, her crystal cupped between   
her palms, and suddenly a great white light issuing from her hands,   
sweeping across the field. As the light touched each creature they   
burst into flames, and within moments were reduced to smoldering piles   
of ash. As she completed her arch, the Senshi moved in closer,   
tightening their circle, the Queen and Sailor Moon still in the   
center. They were still on guard, but smiles of triumph were   
beginning to creep onto their faces as they saw what their Queen   
had done.  
  
Reignfire's eyes glimmered mockingly. "Now, now. Such unsportsman-like   
conduct." Reignfire lifted a hand and ashes rose and coalesced into   
new waves of the creatures that launched themselves forward with animal   
ferocity. "And just to ensure that you don't feel the need to try   
again...." With another gesture, a dozen blazing creatures of fire   
that stood nearly ten feet tall and brandished deadly-looking claws   
rose from the earth and began lumbering toward the Senshi.   
  
Endymion grimaced, eyeing the new arrivals. 'This is getting us nowhere,   
Usako. Shall we try for the head of the monster instead of the limbs?'   
  
Serenity looked toward her husband and nodded. She could see her Guardians   
weakening, and more and more of the creatures were bearing down on them.   
They had to try and take Reignfire out directly. Quickly she moved beside   
Endymion, the crystal once again in her hands, waiting for the right moment.   
  
Endymion leaned slightly to the side, signaling. Nathan nodded, then let   
loose with a blast of fire that shred a half-dozen creatures ahead.   
Endymion took the opening and bolted forward, putting a volley of energy   
bolts into Reignfire's shield from the left.   
  
As Nathan and the King attacked, Mars, Jupiter and Pluto moved closer to   
Serenity, blasting the creatures that came toward her to dust as she called   
upon the power of the crystal, rising slowly from the ground. Encased in an   
orb of pure white light, Serenity concentrated a sphere of the Ginzuishou's   
power between her palms, launching a steady blazing stream of energy at   
Reignfire. There was a blinding flash as it struck home, encasing him in its   
pure energy. The shield around Reignfire shimmered with light, but held strong.   
The man extended a hand to either side, reinforcing the shield, and laughed.   
  
"What the hell?" Serenity heard Jupiter curse as she joined Mars and Pluto in   
fending off the creatures that continued to attack them. She winced when she   
heard Mercury's voice cry out in agony as one of the fire-creatures slashed   
her midsection with a fiery claw.   
  
Alexis blasted the creature aside, eyes burning with fury as razor-sharp ice   
slashed out into the enemy. 'This is not good.'   
  
Serenity heard all this, but she kept her mind focused on the crystal,   
increasing the amount of energy she sent toward Reignfire. 'Give up, damn   
you!' she cursed him in her mind.   
  
Reignfire's laughter rang off the shattered bleachers. "Oh, little queen,   
you'll not best me so easily." With an almost casual gesture, he hit both   
Endymion and Serenity with a pulse of force that knocked the couple to the   
ground.   
  
Endymion rolled sideways, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.   
'What in the name of the gods?'   
  
A fraction of a second later Serenity let out a cry of pain as she was forced   
to the ground, her shoulder slamming into a chunk of broken concrete. Through   
tears of pain that rose in her eyes she watched the unthinkable unfold before   
her, no air left in her lungs to even call out for it to stop. Chibi-Usa's   
eyes widened as she watched her parents flung like rag dolls to the ground,   
and her fingers tightened around her scepter. Her eyes rose to the hovering   
form of Reignfire, and before even the Senshi could register it, she was   
running toward him, preparing to attack.   
  
"Small Lady, no!" Pluto screamed, bringing her Time Staff down hard on the   
skull of a creature and not even noticing the sickening crack as the blow   
struck home. All she knew was fear. Mark shifted, pivoting to attempt a block   
of the girl's rush, but there was no time or space for even someone with his   
remarkable reflexes.   
  
Reignfire's eyes shifted, focusing on the girl charging him. 'Yes.'   
  
"You will not win!" Chibi-Usa growled, raising her scepter, preparing to   
attack. She knew that she'd never be able to penetrate his shield from a   
distance. But from point blank range, she was sure she stood a chance of   
burning through.   
  
The energy wave washed out toward Reignfire and over his shield, a burning   
hemisphere of light. The sphere seemed to shift ... and Reignfire moved   
impossibly fast, blurring into a black shadow as he split shield and attack   
both to reach out and grab Chibi-Usa about the waist. Space warped and   
shuddered, and they were gone in a fraction of a second.  
  
"CHIBI-USA!" Serenity screamed, struggling onto her knees.   
  
"Princess...?" Saturn's glaive hovered, ready to attack the empty space   
where Reignfire had been a second before. Tears burned in her eyes as she   
lowered the staff, her fingers tightening around it.   
  
"No!" The Queen's frantic cry echoed off the crumbling walls, everything within   
the stadium pausing for the briefest moment, the golden light of her crescent   
moon filling the air. The blinding light was followed by a wave of energy washing   
over the field, vaporizing Reignfire's beasts, leaving fifteen stunned Guardians   
standing among the ruins.   
  
The dead silence that followed was finally broken by Serenity's muffled sobs.   
The Senshi and Knights watched mutely as their King rose to his feet, his face   
pale. With heavy steps he made his way to his wife's side and sank slowly to his   
knees beside her, enfolding her shaking body in his arms as he tried to draw away   
her pain with his love even as his own grief threatened to consume him. "We'll get   
her back, Usako," he whispered, as much for himself as for her. Around them and   
their allies, the smoke swirled in silent vigil above the ruins of a broken dream.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Special thanks goes out to all those that have made this possible, including  
Soul for doing the first round of edits and helping with our sometimes horrendous  
spelling and typing skills, and Liz for doing the final round, making sure everything  
fits and correcting the little mistakes we'd never pick up.  
  
Additional thanks to my wonderful beta readers - Lena and Mako the 38th. Your   
questions and feedback helped me make this even better. And of course, thanks  
to all the readers that have writen and commented on Fallen Stars. You're part  
of the reason we do this. ^.~  
  
Fallen Stars has been a year in the making, hopefully it lives up to all expectations.  
Feel free to contact us with any praise, comments, moans, groans or suggestions.   
Feedback is a good thing. ^_^  
  
Email: fallen_star715@yahoo.com  
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	5. Part Three - Chapter 1

------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko  
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.  
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and  
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Fallen Stars  
by  
Lady Archanna & Archmage  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Part 3  
Chapter 1  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Chibi-Usa's head spun, waves of nausea washing over her as she tried to open her eyes.   
At first her vision was blurry; the lack of light not helping. Finally, after a long   
moment it cleared and a raw scream erupted from her throat as she found herself looking   
into to the lifeless eyes of a little boy. Her limbs though heavy, moved quickly as she   
tried to scurry back and her hands fell on something warm and slightly soft. Looking   
down, she realized that she was lying atop others, some breathing and some moaning,   
some obviously dead, all heaped together in a pile in the center of what could only be   
described as a void. The blackness spanned outward to eternity, emptiness lit only by a   
handful of glowing spheres that hung nearby and around her.   
  
'What is this place?' Chibi-Usa asked herself, afraid to speak, afraid of what might   
be lurking in the abyss waiting for her.   
  
A dark laugh echoed from behind her, somehow blacker than even the void surrounding her.   
"Ah, you're awake at last. Excellent."   
  
Chibi-Usa's body tensed, and she had to stifle a cry when the voice rose behind her.   
Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and then slowly turned toward the sound, feeling   
her stomach tighten in a knot of mingled fear and anger. "You!"   
  
The shadowed figure that stood before the throne gazed down at her, long black robes   
swirling around him as red eyes gleamed from beneath the golden circlet around his   
forehead. "Welcome to my home, Princess."   
  
Chibi-Usa immediately felt vulnerable where she knelt, still balancing precariously   
among the unconscious forms about her on the floor. Looking around, she carefully   
inched off of them; spotting her scepter and grabbing it. Her eyes snapped back up   
toward her captor as she struggled to her feet, stumbling on legs that trembled. When   
she finally managed to stand she looked up at him, intent on meeting his gaze   
but finding it scorched her like acid.   
  
"You will let me go!" she proclaimed, her scepter clasped tightly in her hand.   
  
Lord Reignfire laughed softly, eyes burning into hers. "Will I?"   
  
Chibi-Usa blinked, at a loss for words, trying with all her might to fight back the   
terror that threatened to bubble over if she didn't get out of here fast. "Yes, you   
will!" she replied, wanting so badly to look away. "You will release me or in the   
name of Crystal Tokyo I'll destroy you, monster!"   
  
The eyes didn't waver, and a tinge of a smile colored that dark voice. "Will you indeed?"   
  
Chibi-Usa suddenly felt her anger rise above her fear at the mocking laughter she   
heard in Reignfire's voice; she would not be belittled by such a creature. "Yes, I   
will," she whispered, raising her scepter; in an instant she launched an attack at   
him, putting all the energy she could into that single blast.   
  
The burning light hurtled toward Reignfire, blazing in the shadows, and then   
vanished utterly into nothingness as a gloved hand rose to block it with casual   
ease. The red eyes didn't change, but the voice was now harshly mocking. "Finished,   
Princess?"   
  
Chibi-Usa felt her head swimming and her knees go weak, and when she looked up to   
see Reignfire still standing there she had to use all her willpower not to sink down   
to the floor and cry. "I'll never be finished until you release me!"   
  
Reignfire's eyes narrowed. "I will have your submission, Princess."   
  
"I'll die before I submit to you," Chibi-Usa snapped back, her grasp tightening   
around her scepter.   
  
The black robes hissed as Reignfire raised a hand and made a beckoning gesture.   
"If your own suffering will not move you, perhaps alternative persuasions will."   
Out of the corner of her eye, Chibi caught a glimpse of a woman from the mass of   
prisoners rising into the air and floating across the void until she hovered just   
to Reignfire's left.   
  
"Leave her be!" Chibi-Usa cried, her fear of what waited in the darkness between   
her and Reignfire keeping her in place.   
  
Reignfire's eyes gleamed for a moment, and then his hand closed. The woman screamed   
in pain, beginning to writhe about in mid-air as agony engulfed her. The burning red   
eyes bored into Chibi-Usa's. "Submit."   
  
"Leave her alone!" Chibi-Usa screamed, the crescent moon on her forehead suddenly   
blazing to life. "Let her go, now!" There was a flash of multi-colored lights from   
the brooch upon her fuku, and a globe of energy hurled itself toward Reignfire.   
  
The energy shimmered around Reignfire, lashing across a previously invisible shield   
like a miniature storm, and then faded away to nothing. The lifted hand tightened,   
and the woman's screams intensified to shrieks of unbearable agony. The red eyes   
never wavered or even blinked, the voice soft as ever. "Submit."  
  
Chibi-Usa finally lost the battle with herself and sank to her knees, feeling weaker   
than she'd ever felt. The screams of the woman echoed through the blackness and   
stabbed into her heart. Her head lowered and she tried to block out the screams,   
but they kept coming. She could hear the woman begging for mercy, begging for the   
pain to stop. Chibi-Usa felt her stomach twist into a knot and her hands begin to   
shake. She couldn't let this go on, but how could she just give in like this?   
  
'I can't be ... weak,' she told herself, the woman's cries slicing through her   
thoughts. Then a sound cut over the screams, a soft sobbing.   
  
Turning, her eyes landed on the face of a terrified little girl, her small hands   
raised helplessly toward Reignfire's victim. "Mommy ... please..." Chibi-Usa heard   
the girl's small voice plead, tears flowing from the child's eyes.   
  
"Please stop." Chibi-Usa heard herself saying, unable to control herself. "Please,   
stop hurting her and I will submit myself to you."   
  
The screaming redoubled for a fraction of a second, then ceased. The woman sank to   
the ground, still shuddering but obviously alive. Red eyes met red, and Reignfire's   
voice came as soothingly as a serpent's hiss. "Excellent. Rise, servant, and I will   
have someone see you to your quarters."   
  
Almost on cue, a new figure entered the room, golden eyes taking in the shaking   
figure of the Princess with interest as Reignfire casually took the scepter from   
Chibi's hand and slid it into his robes.   
  
"Have I missed all the fun?" Siren asked, eyeing the shaking form of the Princess   
as she got back to her feet.   
  
Reignfire waved. "Allow me to introduce the Lady Siren. She'll be showing you to   
your quarters." Leaning forward, a gloved hand lifted Chibi-Usa's chin so his eyes   
burned into hers. "Remember, Princess. You're mine now, and if you oppose me, you   
will not be the only one to suffer. Clear?"   
  
Chibi-Usa bit back the sob and simply nodded mutely, shivering slightly under   
Siren's close inspection. She felt as if the woman was not simply looking at her,   
but into her. Siren smiled slightly. "Oh, I don't think you're going to give us any   
trouble, are you little one?" Siren purred, golden eyes piercing red ones.   
  
"Just... just don't hurt them any more," Chibi-Usa croaked, her eyes dropping to the   
floor, "and I'll do whatever you ask of me."   
  
Reignfire's eyes met hers. "Be sure that you do." Turning to Siren, he caught her eye.   
"Show her to her quarters, if you would."   
  
"Of course, Lord." Siren smiled at him and then turned her eyes back to her. "Come,   
little one, let me show you to your new home." Siren stopped, a glimmer of silver   
around the Princess's neck catching her eyes. With quick fingers she reached down   
and pulled the necklace out, so that both she and Reignfire could see the small stone   
dangling on the end.   
  
"That's mine!" Chibi-Usa gasped, her hand moving up to snatch the necklace from   
Siren's fingers. Reignfire's hand beat hers to it, and a pained cry escaped her   
lips as he ripped it from around her neck.   
  
Reignfire's eyes gleamed within his hood. "Oh, and in case you were counting on   
this?" Casually, he held up the rainbow necklace that Endymion had given Chibi for   
her birthday. "I wouldn't." His hand clenched, and the stone shattered in his fist   
before shimmering away into nothingness.   
  
"No!" Chibi-Usa croaked, tears shimmering in her eyes and her hands shaking.   
  
"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find you something much more suitable when the time   
is right." Siren smiled, fingering the black amulet that hung around her neck   
before stepping toward the girl. Her hand came down gently on Chibi-Usa's shoulder,   
and she smiled to herself when she felt the girl tense beneath her touch. 'Oh, just   
you wait, small one. Things will only get better.' Siren thought to herself as she   
began leading the girl toward the doors that seemed to materialize out of the blackness.   
  
Chibi-Usa's breath came in ragged gasps as the golden-eyed woman led her down nearly   
pitch-black hallways. Out of fear of what lay within the seemingly solid shadow,   
Chibi-Usa stayed close enough to Siren so that she could see the woman.   
  
"You aren't afraid of the dark, are you?" Siren asked, coming to a stop and turning   
to look at the Princess. Red eyes dropped to the ground and Chibi-Usa shook her head   
mutely, Siren's gaze feeling like a physical weight upon her. The girl had to bite   
back a gasp when she felt Siren's cool hand touching her face, lifting her chin so   
that their eyes met.   
  
"You're young. So young and so very fragile," Siren breathed, her fingers gently   
stroking the girl's face. "You'll be so much fun to break."  
  
"What?" Chibi-Usa gasped, pulling back and away from Siren's touch.   
  
"Oh, nothing," Siren's eyes sparkled. "Come, this is your room."   
  
Chibi-Usa shook her head, still backing away from the woman into the darkness of   
the hallway. "I don't want to go in there."   
  
"Princess, not to point out the obvious, but I've a feeling you'll be safer in   
here than you would be out there." As if on cue there was a loud shrieking from   
the darkness to their left, then another cry rose to answer it from directly behind   
the girl. Siren's eyes narrowed as she saw the girl freeze in place, her body shaking   
with fear.   
  
"Please, Princess." Siren held out her hand. "Those creatures you're hearing are   
rather hungry, excited by the scent of fresh meat; I don't want to leave you to   
their claws and teeth, but I will if you will not cooperate."   
  
Chibi-Usa's eyes darted back and forth, her arms wrapping around her small body   
as she tried to decide which was the lesser of the two evils. Her decision was   
quickly made as she felt something move behind her, fiery hot breath on her neck.   
  
"Very good, my dear." Siren said, her arm snaking around Chibi-Usa's shoulders.   
The doors before them opened, revealing something Chibi-Usa had not seen since   
she'd been brought here: light.   
  
It wasn't the dim light of the throne room, but bright light by which she could   
actually see and what she saw surprised her. The colors of the room were a dark   
burgundy, black and gold. There was a giant fireplace on the far wall, a mantel   
of carved stone surrounding it. There were candelabras set throughout on table,   
all holding black candles that had never been lit. The centerpiece of the room   
was a large bed, covered in soft, velvet covered pillows, a thick black comforter   
lined with shining fur, and black silk sheets.   
  
Siren stood in the doorway as Chibi-Usa slowly walked into the room, each step   
cautious and unsure. "This is where you will be staying."   
  
Chibi-Usa turned to Siren only to see her moving toward the bed, where she sat   
on its soft mattress and crossed her legs, golden eyes meeting red ones. "T-Thank   
you..." Chibi-Usa whispered, unsure of what to say, Siren's gaze unnerving her   
even more, something in the woman's eyes causing her to shift uncomfortably.   
  
"Come and sit, Princess. You're in need of some time to rest," Siren smiled,   
gently patting the mattress beside her.   
  
Chibi-Usa opened her mouth to protest, but remembered what Reignfire had said   
and decided that further disobedience would not be wise. Slowly she made her way   
to the bed and sat stiffly on the end of the bed, her eyes focused on her hands   
as they lay clasped in her lap.   
  
"Are you afraid of me, small one?" Chibi-Usa's fingers tightened into fists as   
she felt Siren's weight shift, her voice suddenly beside her ear.   
  
"I'm not afraid of anything!" Chibi-Usa replied, turning to look at Siren and   
finding the woman's face only inches from hers. Her immediate reaction was to   
turn away, but a strong hand held her head in place.   
  
"Don't turn away from me, Usa," Siren whispered, her mouth beside the child's   
ear. "Because you'll only find that I'm everywhere."   
  
"P-Please stop..." Chibi-Usa cringed, fear rising within her.   
  
"Stop? Small one, I haven't even begun." Siren's lips pressed gently against   
Chibi-Usa's face.   
  
'No ... please.' Chibi-Usa begged silently, closing her eyes, feeling as if   
Siren's presence was embracing her, surrounding her. Then, all at once it was   
gone. Chibi-Usa no longer felt Siren's body next to her or her hot breath on   
her face. Red eyes snapped open, blinking a few times before a cry of surprise   
and fear escaped her lips. The room, once beautifully illuminated, was now black   
as a starless night. "H-Hello?" Chibi-Usa called out, her voice shaking.   
  
"Don't worry, Princess, you're not alone," Siren's voice seemed to fill the entire   
room. "My pets will keep you company."   
  
"P-Pets?" Chibi-Usa croaked and then screamed out as something slid past her legs.   
Quickly she drew them up to her chest, hugging her knees tightly.   
  
"I suggest you try and get that rest. Otherwise, you might excite them," Siren's   
voice was filled with evil laughter. "I don't think you could handle the way they   
like to play."   
  
"Please don't leave me here!" Chibi-Usa cried out, the sounds of slithering bodies   
and nails clicking over the marble floor filling the darkness. "Gods, please..." she   
sobbed, crawling blindly to the center of the bed.   
  
There she sat, tears streaming down her face, curled defensively into a ball as the   
blackness around her seemed to ooze with life. 'Mommy, daddy, where are you?' she   
sobbed silently, until blissful unconsciousness finally claimed her.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Sol sagged into a chair with a curse, looking down at the deep score marks in his   
armor dejectedly. "Dear Gods."   
  
"The gods had nothing to do with what just happened," Saturn's voice was ragged,   
tears staining her face. "What just happened..." she shook her head, unable to   
continue as she felt fresh tears rising in her eyes.   
  
"Was unthinkable." Venus muttered, leaning against the wall, her eyes closed. "We   
just lost the Princess."   
  
Nathan pivoted, slamming his fist into the wall. "Damn it!"   
  
Alexis sagged against a table. "Nathan...."   
  
The other man turned, eyes burning with pain. "I helped her go, hells curse it! It's   
my fault!"   
  
"Its no one's fault that she was fighting with the Senshi as a Senshi. That is her   
duty." Setsuna replied flatly, magenta eyes focused on the floor before her so the   
others couldn't see the tears that glistened in them.   
  
Mark's voice from beside her was as gentle as his hands clasped around her waist.   
"The question now is, what do we do about it?"   
  
"We find her and bring her back," Uranus said tonelessly, her eyes turned to Hotaru   
who sat on the couch beside her, Neptune's arms wrapped around the small senshi as   
her body once again shook with sobs.   
  
The Knights exchanged grim looks. "So far, none of us have been able to get anything."   
  
Sol brightened a little. "Endymion's her father. Maybe he can sense something where   
we can't."   
  
"Perhaps, but I wouldn't count on it." Setsuna whispered, leaning against Mark as the   
weight of her grief began to show on her face. Mark stroked her hair gently, eyes grim   
as he held his wife close. He, more than nearly any of them, was all too aware of what   
captivity could mean.   
  
"We can't just not try, Setsuna. We have to at least attempt it!" Venus said, her voice   
strained her eyes red from crying. "We have too!"   
  
"I didn't say we wouldn't, Minako," Setsuna replied, looking at the blonde. "I know we   
will, I know that I will, but I just don't know if we'll succeed."   
  
Nathan looked up, eyes haunted. "But what if we don't?"   
  
"That's not going to be an option." Jupiter growled, her hand balled into a tight fist   
at her side. "We will get her back!"   
  
"But what if we don't?" Hotaru asked quietly, looking up at them with tear filled eyes.   
  
Silence fell across the room, each afraid to speak what all of them knew. What if their   
Princess was truly lost?   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Serenity lay on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, a pillow hugged tightly to   
her body. Blue eyes were closed tightly but tears still seeped from beneath lowered   
lashes. Her heart ached terribly, and all she wanted was to make the pain go away.  
  
'I failed her, I allowed her be taken.' Serenity repeated once more in her mind, her   
breathing coming in ragged gasps. Her eyes opened slightly and she could see Endymion   
standing before the window. His eyes were on her, but for once in her life, that gaze   
did not make the pain go away.   
  
Endymion crossed the room, gently taking his wife in his arms. "Oh, love, there was   
nothing else you could have done."   
  
"But I was right there! I was so close to her and all I could do was watch her be   
taken!" Serenity sobbed, for the first time her lover's embrace not soothing the   
pain. "I just sat there!"   
  
Slowly he stroked her long blonde hair, holding her close. "You did all you could   
have done, Usako. It wasn't you're fault. We were all there."   
  
"Did I?" Serenity looked up at him, her eyes filled with pain and grief. "If I had,   
she'd still be here, not..." Serenity's words were lost as sobs once again over took   
her and she buried her face against her husband's chest. He rocked her gently against   
him, feeling his own torment building within him.   
  
"Mamo-chan I-" Serenity's sob was cut off as her eyes met his. For a moment she was   
able to see past her blinding pain and realized that she was not the only one that had   
lost a daughter. "I'm so sorry..." she whispered, meeting his eyes.   
  
His arms held her close as the storm in his soul finally broke, and he buried his face   
in her hair as he began to cry softly. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry, Usako..."   
  
"Mamo-chan." Serenity whispered, his tears ripping into her heart. "It's okay," she   
said, though inside her heart was ready to shatter. 'I can't do this, I have to be   
strong.' Serenity closed her eyes tightly, trying to banish the tears and calm her   
sobs. "It's okay..."   
  
Endymion felt her trying to remain strong, trying to hold back the pain, and his arms   
tightened around her. Through their bond he opened his mind, giving her his strength   
and trying to take her pain into himself. 'Usako.'   
  
"Please don't." Serenity pulled away, her eyes meeting his. "One person cannot survive   
all this pain, not alone; Chibi-Usa needs both of us to get her back. This once, instead   
of trying to take away each other's pain, instead of trying to protect one another from   
it, let's just help each other through it."   
  
Endymion shuddered in her arms, bonding his strength to hers and letting their shared   
grief flow around them. "Usako..." The two sat for a few moments in silence, allowing   
their mind's and hearts to cope with the pain, drawing on each other's love. The held   
each other tightly, as if the other were a lifeline, the only thing keeping them from   
losing themselves to the flood of grief.   
  
"We will get her back, won't we?" Serenity asked when the sobs had finally subsided   
and she felt she could speak once again. Her head still lay against him, listening   
to the soothing sound of his heartbeat.   
  
His hands stroked her hair and gently tried to wipe the tear stains from her pale   
face. "We'll get her back. I don't know how, or when, but we will. I swear it."   
  
"I know." Serenity's voice trembled. "But that monster has her, that Reignfire, and   
I just know that if we're going to get her back we have to do it soon. Otherwise..."   
her voice trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.   
  
His arms tightened around her. "We will."   
  
"I just wish I knew how, because right now, it seems like the enemy is holding all   
the cards." Serenity sighed, her eyes meeting his.   
  
Blue eyes looked deep into hers. "He can't be strong everywhere. We'll find his   
weakness. We've done it before, we can do it again."   
  
"I know you're right." Serenity's eyes broke away from his. She wanted so badly   
to believe what he said was the indisputable truth, but she couldn't. There was   
this voice in the back of her mind that kept asking a single question. What if   
they couldn't?  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The door swung open onto the bedroom with a soft groan, the shimmering hearth-fire   
casting cloying shadows about the room. A particularly dark shadow raised red eyes   
to look at the woman as she entered. The voice that rose to greet her was soft,   
lacking its usual edge. "Evening, my dear."   
  
"Hello, Lord." Siren smiled as the doors closed behind her. She walked slowly   
across the room, finally stopping in front of Reignfire, her eyes focused on   
the blazing fire, a satisfied smile on her lips. "The Princess has been properly   
shown to her new quarters, Lord."   
  
A gloved hand waved her to sit, red eyes twinkling. "King's pawn to the fourth   
rank."   
  
Siren smiled, taking her place at the large stone table set before the fireplace.   
Set into the top was a chessboard, hand carved black and white pieces positioned   
strategically over it.   
  
"What's the next step?" Siren asked, carefully considering her next move as her hand   
hovering just above one of the finely crafted pieces.   
  
Reignfire's eyes stroked over the elegant lines of her face, across the long tumble   
of her hair. "How did she seem once she left? Still resistant?"   
  
Siren's smile widened as she carefully moved her white knight, her eyes rising to   
meet his. "Resistant? Oh yes. And quite terrified as well..."   
  
A black bishop slid out, threatening her center. "True. How best to exploit it?"   
  
"Well, you've already discovered a way to control her, through the suffering of   
others. The next step should be to break through her barriers and get into that   
sweet little mind of hers." Siren's eyes glimmered with anticipation as she shifted   
a Rook to counter his move.   
  
Red eyes caressed gold as an obsidian queen slid forward to endanger her Rook. "Indeed.   
What can we do to speed her fall?"   
  
Siren's eyes dropped to the board and she frowned slightly. "By allowing me to do what   
I do best, Lord. She has many weaknesses on which I can prey, things I can use to twist   
her young mind." Siren's eyes brightened as she moved a pawn to neutralize the threat   
his queen posed, then they rose to meet his, her tongue slowly and deliberately running   
over her red lips. "And that is something I believe I'll find a great deal of pleasure   
in, my love."  
  
Reignfire tapped the edge of the board, and a black Knight slipped back away from the   
threat of a white Bishop. "Indeed. I think I'll be putting Dameon and Veros to work   
in the city. Their talents should be well used."   
  
"Yes..." Siren agreed, thoughtfully biting her lip. Concentrating as the seeds of   
another plan began to form in her mind. "I do believe you're right. I'm sure the   
people of Crystal Tokyo would make wonderful playmates for them." Siren smiled,   
seeing an opening and taking it with a white rook moved into place to threaten   
his black Queen. "I do believe the queen's position might be in jeopardy, my Lord."   
  
Reignfire pointed slightly and the Queen slid forward to the most illogical place   
on the board, one from which it could be taken by any of three pieces. "You left   
your pets with orders not to hurt our guest, of course?"   
  
"Of course, my Lord. I don't want her damaged before I've gotten the chance   
to...get to know her," Siren replied, her eyes suddenly concentrating on the   
board, seeing the opening he'd allowed her. She studied the board in silence   
for a few moments, trying to uncover the trap he was sure to have laid. After   
some time, a hesitant smile played on her lips as she moved her bishop and   
captured his queen, holding the piece in her palm for a moment before setting   
it down beside the board. "Your move."   
  
Reignfire pointed, and a bishop slid out from in front of one of his rooks and   
settled in a spot from which none of her pieces could take it. "Checkmate, my   
love."   
  
Siren's eyes flashed with anger as she snapped her gaze up to meet his. "So it   
seems. Do you always win, my Lord?" Siren asked, meeting his eyes.   
  
Red eyes glittered like dying suns. "What do you think, my lady?"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
A tall slim man with long blonde hair slipped through the crowded street of   
Crystal Tokyo behind a guard detail, eyes fixed on his targets with burning   
anticipation. As the moved through the archway, the sounds of voices and laughter   
drifted through the small courtyard. At the far end, nestled among a scattering   
of flowering trees, was a small restaurant. The entire front wall was made of   
glass, sparkling in the sunlight. The name, Lunar Rose Café, was set into the   
glass in gold metal; all around there was an air of calm. In this small corner   
of the city, it seemed that things were still as they always had been.   
  
Through the glass a mob of young men and women could be seen, gathered around   
the small tables, laughing and talking, trying to ignore what was going on   
beyond the courtyard for just a little while. Out front, there were a few small   
tables set in the warm sun, a group of seven girls gathered around it with their   
laughter greeting the guards. They politely stepped through the door, looking   
around as they tried to locate the drink taps. The golden-haired man smiled, his   
fingers twisting slightly as he reached out with his mind and grabbed hold of the   
emotions in the air and wrenched.   
  
One of the guards turned from looking for the drink stand and found himself   
staring at one of the young women. "Hey, gorgeous. How's business?"   
  
The red-haired girl, no more than seventeen, smiled and giggled at the guard's   
comments. "Pretty good, sir," she replied, going back to getting the glasses   
from behind the counter. When she turned back around, a chill went down her spine   
when she saw the guard's eyes still focused on her. Smiling once again, she started   
to move past him to get to her waiting customers.   
  
The guard almost causally slipped up next to her, eyes raking up and down the   
uniform she wore. "You always look this good, ma'am?"   
  
As he spoke the other guards slid past him and settled down across from various   
young women, all wearing similar expressions that seemed almost as sharp as the   
weapons they wore. The tone as well as the look in the guard's eyes quickly ignited   
a spark of worry in the waitress's mind. As carefully as she could, she slipped   
passed him, barely noticing as the other guards spread themselves throughout the   
cafe. To her left, three of the guards seated themselves in a semi-circle   
around a particularly noticeable young woman with long red hair so immersed in a   
translation of the Iliad that she didn't notice as they took the places around her.   
  
Looking up from her book and meaning to call over the waitress, she let out a   
surprised gasp to find three sets of eyes on her. "C-Can I help you gentlemen?"   
she asked quietly, still holding her book.   
  
One of the guards gave her a long, appraising look. "Oh, I'm sure you can."   
  
The other two exchanged a look and a grin. The girl caught the silent communication   
and a chill went through her. There was something in their eyes that scared her.   
"I'm not sure what you mean." she replied, looking back at the dark-haired guard   
that had spoken, finding it difficult to meet his jade-green gaze.   
  
The man gave her a leering smile. "No, really? Here I was thinking that with a   
body like that you must know exactly what you're doing."   
  
The man on his left gave a mild guffaw. "Well, one can always teach them."   
  
"Excuse me?" The girl gasped, suddenly pushing herself away from the table, only   
to find her back up against the wall. Silently she cursed herself for seating   
herself in the corner of the restaurant. "I really do need to be going." she   
stuttered, getting up, hoping to slip by the men's seats.   
  
One of the men reached up and casually slid an arm around her waist. "Oh? What's   
the hurry, sweetheart? Too busy to take a little time for us?"   
  
"No, she just has better things to do than waste her time on slime such as   
yourself," A woman whose long white-blonde hair tumbled to her waist spoke up,   
coming in behind the guards. Fierce amber eyes met his as she wrapped her fingers   
around his arm and pulled it away from the frightened girl.   
  
The man looked up at the woman with harsh contempt. "Oh? Is that so?" Almost   
casually, the man stood up and looked down at the smaller woman. "You really   
ought to learn some respect for your betters, woman."   
  
"And you best learn to control yourself in public, sir." She replied, her gaze   
unwavering. She took the girl's hand and turned, leading her toward the door to   
safety.   
  
"Th-thank you..." The redhead stuttered, her body shaking as she walked.   
  
"Don't thank me yet," the golden-eyed woman replied, sensing the tension in the   
air doubling. A small smile playing on her lips, a look of anticipation hidden   
deep in her eyes.   
  
The two seated guards rose, both glaring at the stick of a woman daring to challenge   
their position. The black-haired man's lips curled. "Who do you think you are, lady?   
And why shouldn't I teach you a lesson in respect?"   
  
All activity in the cafe had come to a grinding halt, all eyes focused on the scene   
unfolding in the middle of the room. The other guards watched carefully, and some   
of the girls took the moment of distraction to slip away from their admirers, their   
eyes fixed on the woman with the golden eyes and snow-white hair.   
  
"I'm simply someone looking out for the well-being of the people of the crumbling   
city, sir. I will not allow you, those who are supposed to be protecting these   
girls, hurt them anymore than you already have with your second-rate protection."   
The woman's voice rose, her words sure, her tone even and her eyes unflinching as   
the men in the room shifted anxiously, wanting to descend on her like vultures. "You   
can try to teach me any lesson's you want, you glorified security guard, but none of   
you will lay a finger on any of these innocents."   
  
The man flinched at the barn, the mocking echo of another thrown at the guard a   
handful of days before. Anger rose in his eyes, and in the corner of the room a   
golden-haired man gave the guard's mind just the extra fraction of a push needed   
to snap control like a twig.   
  
"You!" The guard's hand dropped to his dagger's hilt, lips pulling into a snarl.   
"I'll show you just what mocking the Royal Guard means."   
  
There were screams of terror from the girls as the man's dagger left his side,   
heading for her throat. "I don't think so, little boy!" she hissed, her eyes   
narrowing and a flash issuing from the pendant she wore around her neck. Without   
raising a finger she brought the guard to his knees before her, tears forming in   
the man's eyes as his head filled with excruciating pain. "You Royal Guards are   
nothing more than little children handed weapons and told to go play with them."   
  
"These people will not be forced to suffer your form of protection." Amber eyes   
widened slightly, flashing with golden light as the man's dagger fell to the   
floor, his hands clasping the sides of his head.   
  
The other men flinched back, hands going for their spears and halberds as they   
spun to face this suddenly dangerous threat.   
  
"Oh look, more toys." The woman's tone was biting. "So, will you kill me for   
attempting to protect these girls? For doing more than you and the Senshi have   
done since all hell broke loose in the streets of this city?"   
  
One of the men stepped forward, eyes ablaze. "I have no interest in killing you,   
woman. But if you don't come along quietly, I'm afraid we'll be taking you with   
us to the Palace by force."   
  
"Leave her alone!" The girl with the red-hair cried, stepping boldly away from   
the group of girls huddled near the counter. "She hasn't done anything wrong!"   
  
The men looked back and forth between each other, startled by the sudden shift   
in the atmosphere. One of the men cleared his throat, anger obviously more under   
control. "Excuse me, ma'am, but you've assaulted a member of the guard. That's   
cause for arrest under the new policies the palace has issued. If you'd come   
quietly, that would simplify things considerably."   
  
"Oh, and are there new policies dictating that the Royal Guard are allowed to   
assault young women with no interference and no recourse?" The white-haired   
woman asked, her arms crossing casually across her chest. "What you call assault,   
I, as well as the others in this room, call self-defense. Unless that has been   
outlawed, I see no reason I should be arrested for it."   
  
One of the guards moved forward, eyes hard as he stepped up to the woman and pointed   
his spear toward the door. "You'll be leaving with us, ma'am."   
  
"I don't think so," she began, her eyes flickering. Just then the guard let out a   
cry of pain as his hand shot up to the back of his head where a glass had just made   
a direct hit. When he pulled his hand away it was covered in blood, and he turned   
with a scowl toward his attacker.   
  
"Leave her alone!" A blonde girl cried, another glass already in her hand and ready   
to be thrown if necessary.   
  
"Go back to playing in the palace!" A brunette taunted. Suddenly the restaurant was   
filled with angry cries of brutality and injustice, all focused on the group of guards.   
  
The group of tightened formation, eyeing the woman with grim anger. Weapons flashed   
as they were made ready for a fight. What happened in the next instant was a blur to   
all but two present. As the white-haired woman shifted a guard moved to counter her,   
pivoting his spear to block her exit. A small girl with dark black hair moved,   
thinking to try and save the woman who had saved them, and she was knocked to the   
floor, landing hard.   
  
Golden eyes flashed once more, and before the guard could react he was sent hurtling   
across the room. His lower back smashed into the low counter with a sickening thud,   
his breath rushing out with a gush as he hit. An instant later the others were   
brought to their knees, their faces twisted in grimaces of pain and their weapons   
falling to the ground.   
  
The amber-eyed woman bent down and helped the small girl up, a smile of appreciation   
meeting her. "Who are you?" The girl asked in a small voice.   
  
The woman with the white hair leaned forward, her lips only inches from the girl's   
ear. She whispered something, the girl's eyes sparkling with excitement as she pulled   
away. Before anymore questions could be asked, the woman in white disappeared in a   
flash of light.   
  
As the last sparkles of the woman's exit faded, three new arrivals pushed through   
the door and looked over the scene with dismay. Nathan grimaced, scanning the fallen   
guards with a glance. "What a mess."   
  
"What the hell is this?" Haruka growled, her eyes falling on the guard struggling to   
his knees in front of the counter.   
  
"I don't know." Makoto said, shaking her head and noting the looks of fear on the   
faces of the patrons of the cafe.   
  
Nathan paused as he knelt next to one of the guards, feeling an unfamiliar tingle   
of emotion in his mind that faded almost immediately. 'What in the blazes?' The   
man in the shadows smiled as he looked over his handiwork, then faded away into   
the crowd forming around the door without anyone catching a glimpse of him.  
  
"Does someone want to tell us what happened here?" Makoto's voice was a mixture   
of frustration and concern, her eyes falling on the face of a guard with dark   
brown hair who was getting to his feet in front of her. The guard looked up at   
her, opened his mouth to speak and closed it again.   
  
Nathan looked up, muttering a soft comment to Makoto. "Why do I get the feeling   
I don't want to know?"   
  
"We need to know what happened," Haruka said, kicking a fallen spear out of her way.   
  
"I can tell you what happened," A girl long black hair said, stepping forward.   
"I can tell you everything, from how your guards came in here and started harassing   
us to how they were finally stopped by a woman who was willing to stand up to them."   
  
Nathan took a long, measured look around as a slow sensation of unease sank its claws   
into his gut and began coiling up his back. "I see." The guard met his eyes for a   
moment, then looked away as he saw the grim distaste in the Knight of War's eyes.   
  
"What's your name?" Makoto asked gently, her gaze meeting the girl's pale green gaze.   
  
"I'm Arianna..." she answered quietly.   
  
"Please, can you tell us exactly what happened?" Makoto pressed, knowing that they had   
to find out.   
  
Arianna nodded slowly and began to recount the events of the past half-hour, careful   
not to leave out a single detail. Makoto noticed a strange look come into the girl's   
eyes whenever she mentioned the mysterious woman in white.   
  
Nathan leaned down to look into the girl's eyes. "Did she give a name?"   
  
Arianna's lips spread in a smile. "She said to call her Seraphine." The girl fell   
silent for a moment, her eyes flashing. "But no matter what her name, she's an   
angel of mercy."   
  
Nathan glanced around the room, leaning slightly over to comment in Haruka's ear.   
"Her angel of mercy certainly made a mess of our guards, that's for sure."   
  
"Apparently they deserved it, though," Haruka said, an uneasy feeling forming inside   
as she looked at the girl. "All I know is that I don't like this one bit."   
  
Nathan's eyes once again scanned the room, then he turned, getting Makoto's attention   
as well. "Either of you feel anything when you came in? Something odd?"   
  
Makoto and Haruka exchanged glances, both women shaking their heads. "All I felt was   
the tension in here. It was so thick you could have drowned in it." Haruka replied,   
solemnly.   
  
Nathan's lips tightened. "Right."   
  
"Nate, did you feel something that we missed?" Makoto asked, seeing the look on the   
man's face.   
  
He shook his head. "Don't know. I'll get back to you."   
  
Makoto frowned, unsatisfied with the answer, but deciding not to push it. "So, think   
we should work on rounding up this mess that used to be our guards and seeing if we   
can get them straightened out?"   
  
Nathan looked around the room at the guards in various states of unconsciousness. "I   
think we may need a few extra hands."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The sound of quick footsteps echoed through the empty hall, magenta eyes hard and   
emotionless as they focused into the darkness toward the far end of the corridor.   
Setsuna's mind was racing, but she did all she could to block it out, she couldn't   
focus on that yet. Her steps slowed, but her breathing did not as she came to a stop   
in front of her chamber door, slowly opening it.   
  
Once inside, she closed it, leaning against it for a moment, her eyes adjusting to   
the shadowy interior of her room. Closing her eyes, she forced the flood inside her   
down for a moment longer, making her way to the bed on shaky legs.   
  
As she lowered herself onto the soft mattress, her eyes fell upon a small frame   
resting on the bedside table. As if by some cruel twist of fate, the small amount   
of light that did make its way through the balcony doors fell upon it to reveal the   
smiling face of a young woman with soft pink hair and loving red eyes.   
  
"Small Lady..." Setsuna whispered, her voice cracking, feeling the tears welling   
in her eyes. Her fingers dug themselves into the mattress, her mind telling her   
heart that it had to be strong, that it could not allow itself to be shattered   
just yet.   
  
The shadows at the edge of the room parted, and a black-cloaked form sat gently   
on the bed beside her with a creak. Arms encircled her, drawing her head up into   
the man's chest as he stroked her hair. 'Oh, Sets.'  
  
Setsuna allowed herself to be held, her eyes held tightly shut as she tried to   
force back the tears. She cursed herself silently as she felt her body begin to   
shake, silent sobs washing through her. 'Mark... Gods, how could I have let this   
happen?' she asked pleadingly in his mind, even though she already knew the answer.   
Her fingers rested against his chest and she tried to concentrate on the soft sounds   
of his heartbeat, wanting to push out all the awful images and hateful thoughts that   
surged through her mind. The Time Senshi flinched slightly at the remorse and sorrow   
in her beloved's voice, knowing that she was the cause of most of it. "I wonder   
sometimes if I'm not more of a curse than anything else to all those around me."   
she whispered, delicate fingers reaching up and brushing green hair out of magenta   
eyes. "Here I am with all this knowledge, and all I can do is watch them suffer.   
Hell, I'm not even allowed a moment in which I'm not concerned with the past or   
the future. I can never be involved just in the moment; I'm always looking forward   
or back to make sure that things play out the way they should, no matter what."   
  
Long, slim fingers worked through her hair, tilting her face back so gray eyes   
could meet magenta. "I know, my love. I know."   
  
"Just once. Just once I'd like to concentrate on nothing more than the here and   
now, a single moment rather than a series of them." Her voice trembled slightly   
as her eyes closed, crystal tears slipping past her lashes and down her pale face.   
"Just once I'd like to be able to act out of love rather than duty."   
  
His hands brushed her tears away, gently lifting her face and kissing her gently.   
'I love you, Sets. Always have, always will, come eternity's end or anything before.'   
  
Her eyes opened slowly, the warm softness of his lips still lingering on her own,   
his words ringing in her mind from a voice filled with love and her heart broke.   
"Mark, look at me! Those that dare to care about me end up traveling down a path   
of uncertainty and ignorance; they all know I have knowledge that could save them,   
that could prevent what is to come, but that I don't use it." Setsuna pulled away   
slightly, wrapping her arms around herself. Her voice was quiet, trembling. "Mark,   
look at what loving me has cost you! You've been condemned to walk a line between   
life and death for all of eternity because of me." Setsuna's eyes fell to the bed   
before her, unable to meet her lover's gaze as her body began to shudder with   
suppressed grief.  
  
Mark leaned forward, his arms wrapping around her to press her against him.   
"Condemned, my love? If you can call being here with you and protecting you   
condemnation, then I'd chose it over any other fate this weary world can offer."   
  
Setsuna opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes only rose to met his, her words   
dying on her lips. It was there in the gray depths that she saw the unadulterated   
love he held for her, the utter and undying devotion, and in that gaze she found   
strength. Her hand reached up to gently rest against the side of his face, magenta   
eyes holding gray as her lips rose to meet his. 'Thank you, my love.'   
  
His arms drew around her, lips holding hers with a tender passion that even untold   
millennia and countless brushes with death had not marred. 'All part of the service,   
my love.'   
  
As Setsuna's fingers wound themselves into the black softness of his hair, her mind   
flashed to a scene from long ago when he'd first used those familiar words. Though   
the sentiment was the same, the players had changed; they'd both lost their innocence   
and the blind faith that the future would turn out happily. All they still had was   
each other, a constant she couldn't bear the thought of losing ever again. 'I wonder   
sometimes if there's anything that's not part of the service, lord.' she countered as   
her lips still pressed hungrily to his, unwilling to end the kiss just yet.   
  
Mark leaned into the kiss with a mental smile, enjoying the feel of her in his arms   
after so many millennia of separation. 'Not much.'   
  
It still amazed her how every time Mark held her, it felt like the first night she'd   
run to him. The intensity of their passion was still as strong, the chords that bound   
them still tied as tightly. Many times she'd allowed herself to melt into that embrace,   
to allow the sparks of desire they struck to grow into flames, ending up in his arms   
soaring to realms of ecstasy many only dreamed about. Part of her hoped this could be   
one of those times, but at the same time another part knew there were other things that   
needed her attention. 'Why must what I want always come second,' she cursed silently in   
her mind, the kiss breaking abruptly and her head moving to rest on Mark's shoulder.   
  
He sighed, gently caressing her cheek as he leaned his head on hers. 'I wish I knew,   
my love. I wish I knew.'   
  
They sat in silence for long moments, holding each other and listening to the soft   
sounds of their joined breathing. An aching need burned deep inside, but Setsuna   
pushed it back. Duty and responsibility came before anything else.   
  
"Mark, we've lost the Princess." Setsuna whispered, her arms tightening around   
his neck.   
  
Pale lips pinched "I know. Question is, how long until we see her again?"   
  
Setsuna's eyes filled with fresh tears as she considered the answer to his   
question. When she did finally speak, her voice trembled with emotion. "We'll   
see her soon enough, love, but we've still lost her."   
  
Mark's eyes closed in silent grief as his arms tightened around her. "I'm sorry,   
Sets."   
  
"Gods, Mark, what I wouldn't give right now for the wonderful bliss of ignorance,   
to not know what was going to happen. To still have that hope." Tears began to   
fall once more down pale cheeks as magenta eyes closed, trying to block out the   
images of what was to come.   
  
Mark took his wife's pain into his own soul, trying to engulf it in his love for   
her as his arms wrapped around her. "I know, my love. Oh, but I know."   
  
"Mark, I don't want to let her go." Setsuna cried, her body shaking from the sobs   
that surged forth from deep inside her.   
  
His hands stroked her hair, trying to soothe a pain beyond even his power to ease.   
'I know, Sets.'   
  
"I could have saved her!" she whispered, trying to catch her breath. "The Queen   
couldn't have. The King couldn't have. Not even all the Senshi could have saved   
Small Lady, but I could have." She pulled back, meeting his eyes. "I love her   
with all my heart, yet I didn't do anything to save her, Mark! I knew what would   
happen, what was to come." Her words trailed off as she lost herself in the wave   
of loss and devastation that overtook her, and her arms tightened around Mark,   
afraid that if she let go she'd be washed away.   
  
Mark's eyes held hers, relentless even in their gentleness. "No, love. You couldn't   
have saved her. Not you, not even you, can shift the wheels that far. You might   
have changed the path of the gear, but it might have mangled her just as badly   
any other way." He stroked her face, washing her wounds in his love. 'Let it go,   
Sets. You can't hold it on your own shoulders.'   
  
She leaned her hand into his hand, feeling the warmth of his feelings for her   
spreading through her, wrapping her in a warm embrace that no other could ever   
match. "I- I'm so sorry, Small Lady," she whispered, her eyes closing slightly.   
'I want to let it go, all of it, even if only for one night, Mark, but I don't   
know if I can."   
  
The lights faded, leaving them in the shadows that were so much his element. The   
shimmering candle flame above them was the only light, bathing them in its soft   
glow. "Just try, my love. Just try."   
  
The tears in Setsuna's eyes sparkled in the dim light. She pulled away a little,   
and in the darkness her hands found his, their fingers intertwining and their   
eyes once again locking. "Help me. Because I know I can't do it alone."  
  
Mark's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he took her grief into him, filling   
her with the love that was as much a part of him as the night from which he drew   
solace. 'My strength, your strength. My heart, your heart. One and indivisible.'   
  
"From now into eternity?" she whispered, the pain inside subsiding to a dull ache.   
She knew it would not go away, and she knew that this one event, this one period in   
time would forever leave a hole inside her, a scar that would never heal. One she   
would not allow to heal.   
  
"Yes." Mark's hands held hers, his eyes looking into her soul. 'You can't scar   
yourself for things you can't change, my love.'   
  
"Mark, you don't understand. Aside from the fact that other than you, Small Lady   
is the only other person I've ever really allowed myself to love, is the fact that   
it's not that I couldn't change what happened. It's knowing that even if I could   
have, I wouldn't have." Her lips tightened. "All because of that stupid key and   
a promise I made all those millennia ago."   
  
'You are the Guardian.' The sadness and pride in Mark's voice were mingled so   
deeply that it was impossible to tell which had been the original emotion. 'I   
can't think of anyone I'd rather entrust my future to.'   
  
"Even if in doing so you could be destroying any chance you have of seeing that   
future?" Setsuna asked softly.   
  
Mark's voice was gentle but firm as iron. "Even then."   
  
Setsuna looked at him for a moment, her hands tightening on his before letting   
them go. Long arms wrapped tightly around his neck, her face inches from his.   
"Thank you, my love," she whispered. "I just hope your trust hasn't been misplaced."   
  
Reaching up to snuff the candle, Mark gave her a wry smile before darkness   
covered them. "Me, too." Setsuna blinked as the light went out, feeling his   
arms encircle her and pull her close. As his lips met hers she could feel the   
utter trust he had in her, and it helped to soothe the pain inside.   
  
'I love you.' she sighed, and in the darkness she allowed each kiss, each   
caress to further push the pain back, at least for a little while  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Chibi-Usa didn't know when she'd slipped into the cold comfort of unconsciousness,   
but she knew that there she was safe. There in the dreamless void she was shielded   
from monsters, both real and illusionary. If she'd been given the choice she would   
have gladly remained there. Unfortunately, that was not to be. All too soon she   
became aware of her body once more, muscles throbbing with dull pain. As she   
shifted and stretched stiff joints she winced, finding her limbs little more   
than dead weight. Her face twisted as she felt a burning in her abdomen, and   
she rolled to her side in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Blindly she reached   
out for the blankets, trying to drive away the chills running through her; what   
she found with her hand, however, was not the softness of a quilt.   
  
Red eyes snapped open as her hand pulled back from the warm figure she'd touched.   
As her vision cleared she found the room bathed in a soft golden glow, deep jade   
green eyes gazing at her, appraising her. A shudder passed through her as she sat   
up, becoming all too aware of the thin nightgown she wore. 'Where the hell did this   
come from?' she cursed silently, trying to pull the blankets closer to her. "W-Who   
are you?" she asked the man, her voice trembling.   
  
When he spoke his voice was gentle, as soothing as a lover's touch. "I am Dameon,   
Princess. At your service."   
  
The tone of his voice set Chibi-Usa's nerves aflame, and she felt her breathing   
quicken slightly. "What are you doing here?" she breathed, her eyes focused on   
the blankets before her so they wouldn't have to meet his.  
  
Dameon reached out, gently lifting her chin so that she could no longer avoid   
his gaze. "I'm here to make your stay more comfortable, my lady."   
  
The electric shock of his touch caused Chibi-Usa's eyes to go wide, her chance   
to escape his magnetic stare lost. Her heart hammered rapidly in her chest as   
she felt herself falling into the emerald depths of his eyes. 'Get away from me!'   
she cried in her mind, fearing the worst. When she finally managed to speak,   
however, she barely recognized the voice as her own. "And just how do you   
propose to do that?"   
  
Dameon leaned forward, close enough so she could feel his warm breath washing   
over her face. "It is rather cool in these chambers, Princess. Perhaps I can   
help you warm yourself?"   
  
'No!' Chibi-Usa's mind screamed silently, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes   
as she spoke once more in the alien tone that had somehow possessed her voice.   
"I am rather cold."   
  
Dameon's lips brushed across hers, almost as if the contact were unintentional.   
"I am fully at your service, of course."   
  
Chibi-Usa's mouth was on fire from his burning kiss. She felt herself leaning   
forward, her lips blindly seeking his. "Please..." she breathed, her voice heavy   
with desire she did not understand.   
  
In an instant Dameon's mouth recaptured hers in a deep, breath-stealing kiss as   
his arms moved around her hips and pulled her to him. Chibi-Usa cringed inwardly   
even as she felt herself returning the kiss, her hands pinned against his hard   
chest. 'Gods, no.' her mind sobbed as she felt one hand resting about her waist   
while the other moved upward, gently caressing her through the thin fabric of   
the nightdress.   
  
'Yes, that's it.' Dameon's tongue caressed her mouth and lips in a way carefully  
calculated to enflame passion as his hands worked their way to the fastener at   
the back of the gown.   
  
'Stop ... Please.' Chibi-Usa made one final silent plea as her body slowly   
betrayed her, reacting to his every motion. Her hands moved of their own   
accord to his neck, pulling her even closer to him, straining for his touch.   
As she felt his hand touching bare skin, something inside her snapped, and   
she was overcome with fear and grief. This was going to happen, and she couldn't   
do anything to stop it. Even worse, something inside her didn't even want to stop it.  
  
Dameon slid a hand over her shoulder to pull the nightgown away and was abruptly   
thrown across the bed and into the opposite wall as the golden light around him   
was swallowed up by the pulsing red glow that rose behind Chibi-Usa. Chibi-Usa   
fell forward, catching herself on her hands so she didn't go sprawling across   
the mattress. She remained there, frozen for a long moment as she felt Dameon's   
hold on her releasing and she was once again able to control her own movements.   
Raising her eyes to where Dameon lay against the far wall, the look of terror on   
his face chilled her to the bone.   
  
Slowly, not noticing the nightgown slip further down one of her shoulders, she   
pushed herself into a kneeling position, taking a deep breath. Even more slowly   
she turned her head, and her momentary relief was immediately replaced by fear   
when found herself looking up at Reignfire himself. Reignfire's eyes glowed with   
cold fire, burning into his lieutenant with a withering stare. "Dameon."   
  
"My lord?" The other man's voice trembled as he managed to scramble to his knees.   
  
The dark voice was soft, but filled with a power as deep and incomprehensible as   
space itself. "I seem to recall telling you that this girl was my servant."   
  
Blood drained from Dameon's face, his eyes widening with fear. "Yes, my lord."   
  
The entire room seemed to ripple with Reignfire's anger, shadows writhing around   
them. Reignfire's voice hissed out with deadly precision, poisonous as an adder's   
bite. "Do I need to remind you what disobedience costs, Dameon?"   
  
"No, master." Dameon flinched, eyes falling to the floor. Having served Reignfire   
longer than most of the dark lord's servants had survived, he knew all too well   
what the consequence of his liege's displeasure could entail.  
  
A gloved hand reached out and rested lightly on Chibi's shoulder, the dark voice   
seething with quiet fury. "Then I forbid you to touch her again, and for your   
disobedience you will chose last in the selection of future prisoners."   
  
"But my lord, Veros will take all the choice prisoners before me!" Dameon's voice   
was hot with sudden indignation, overwhelming even his normal smooth charm. The   
shadows seemed to crowd in around him instantly, blotting out what few shreds of   
light still surrounded him.   
  
"Would your prefer I allow the lady Siren to choose your punishment, Dameon?"   
  
His face went ashen at the thought, voice shaking with sudden terror. "No, my lord."   
  
"Then get out of my sight." Reignfire waved dismissively, his glowing red eyes still   
burning with deadly anger. Dameon turned and fled the room without another word.   
  
"T-Thank you, my Lord." Chibi-Usa croaked, the weight of his gloved hand holding   
her in place despite the almost feather-light pressure of his grasp. She wanted so   
badly to move, but found herself more frightened of his reaction than of staying.   
  
Reignfire's eyes lowered to hers, gleaming from within his hood with acid intensity.   
"Get dressed and then come with me."   
  
"W-Where are we going?" Chibi-Usa asked without thinking, recoiling from the   
harshness in his tone.   
  
His voice shimmered with power, a whip-crack command. "You'll see. Now, dress."   
  
Chibi-Usa nodded mutely, sliding from beneath his hand and edging slowly off   
the bed. She stood there a moment, then turned back to Reignfire. "Where shall   
I meet you when I'm dressed, Lord?" she asked quietly.   
  
A gloved hand gestured to the door. "Is there a problem, servant?"   
  
Chibi-Usa swallowed hard, shaking her head. "Of course not. I just didn't think   
you'd want to have to wait for me to dress." She felt her face reddening as her   
eyes dropped to the floor.   
  
Soft laughter filled her mind, and a wall of shadow surrounded her. 'Private   
enough, Princess?'   
  
Chibi-Usa didn't respond, simply moving to the wardrobe that was on her left   
and opening it in the hopes of finding something to wear. After much deliberation   
she finally found a dress that would have to do, and quickly put it on. As she   
stepped from behind the wall, she was still trying to tug the black skirt of the   
dress down, toward her knees. 'Even my fuku covered more than this.' she thought   
with frustration as the dress slid back up to her thighs. Making one more adjustment   
of the thin straps that looked barely strong enough to hold the figure-hugging sheath   
up, she lifted her eyes and looked around for Reignfire. "I'm ready, Lord."   
  
The black-robed shadow stepped around the dissipating darkness and led her out into   
the dark halls with a wave of his hand. "Come, then."   
  
Chibi-Usa found herself following Reignfire down the darkened corridor, walking only   
inches from him, afraid of what imaginary and real monsters awaited her in the   
shadows. Glancing past him, she saw a portal situated on the far end of the hallway,   
even its soft glow being swallowed by the endless darkness. Reignfire reached up to   
touch the portal and opened a door to a smaller cell on the other side. Glancing   
nervously at Reignfire, she hesitated for a long moment. He stepped aside smoothly,   
motioning for her to move forward, and Chibi-Usa obediently stepped through the door.   
  
Immediately she was overwhelmed by the smell of blood and sweat, the almost physical  
force of the stench causing her to stagger back. She would have kept moving backward   
had it not been for the ravenous growl that rose from far down the corridor behind her.   
With her hand clasped to her mouth she stepped back up to the doorway, trying to steel   
herself for what she might see.   
  
"My gods!" Chibi-Usa gasped at the sight of a dozen people lying scattered in the room   
beyond the door. Even from here she could hear the muffled sobs of those still strong   
enough to cry. As red eyes moved across the dank room, they caught the lifeless hazel   
eyes of a man propped directly across from the door. Although their eyes met, she   
doubted he could see her, certain that the pain from the festering slashes on his   
torso blocked out everything else. On his lap lay the head of a woman, short brown   
hair matted across her forehead and bruises covering her face. Tears seeped from   
beneath closed eyelashes, leaving muddy trails down her cheeks and over the shallow   
cuts on her arms. Chibi-Usa's eyes moved from them toward the sound of sobs coming   
from the corner of the room, and they fell upon the huddled form of a little girl.   
Raven black hair hung around her, dirty and sticking to her body, and her small   
knees were drawn up to her chest as her slim frame shook with her sobbing. Then,   
as if feeling the weight of the Princess's stare, the little girl's head lifted   
and deeply sunken brown eyes looked back at her. The dull stones stared back   
from a bruised face, no longer possessing the youthful vigor they should have.   
  
"No." Chibi-Usa cried, closing her eyes and turning away from the door, her stomach   
twisting into a knot that threatened to suffocate her. The suffering she saw on the   
faces of those captives in that room stabbed deeply into her heart, twisting about   
like a jagged knife. Reignfire stepped into the room behind her, a living darkness   
that seemed to swallow what little light there was. Those who had the strength to   
move shied away from him. Those who didn't simply lay still and waited for death.  
  
Burning eyes swept contemptuously across the room and then settled into Chibi-Usa's.   
"Since your family is so renown for doing good, I thought I'd give you an opportunity."   
  
"What do you mean?" Chibi-Usa asked cautiously, her eyes not leaving his; she   
preferred their acidic gaze to the scene that lay around him in the cell.   
  
Reignfire swept his hand across the scene, pointing to the various prisoners.   
"If you pass this test, I will release these people and allow them to go free.   
Back to Crystal Tokyo. Safely."   
  
Chibi-Usa blinked, unsure she'd heard him correctly but unwilling to ask him to  
repeat himself for fear that he would rethink his decision. "What kind of test   
must I pass to gain these innocents their freedom?" she finally asked, trying to   
push down the terror that grabbed hold of her insides.  
  
Reignfire's eyes held hers, his gloved hand extending to point at the young girl   
who sat in the corner. "Kill her."  
  
"What?" Chibi-Usa gasped in disbelief, her eyes following his hand to fall on the   
raven-haired girl. Brown eyes no longer sat dully within their sockets, but shone   
brightly with terror as they moved from the monster in the cloak to the Princess.   
"You can't be serious."   
  
Reignfire shrugged, eyes still burning bright. "Of course I'm serious, my servant."   
  
Chibi-Usa shook her head violently. "I will not kill anyone!"   
  
"Then they all die. Every last one of them. Painfully and slowly." His voice moved   
slowly over the words, casual as a man discussing a house's sale.  
  
"What?" Chibi-Usa looked from him to the faces of those prisoners still conscious   
enough to understand what was going on, and in their eyes she saw pleading. They   
were silently begging her for salvation that only she could give them. Then her   
eyes moved to the face of the child, the one to be the sacrificial lamb so that   
all the others could go free. "No, please! There has to be some other way. I'll   
do anything. You can do anything you want to me, but I can't do what you're asking!"   
  
Reignfire's voice was soft, empty of feeling, ruthlessly precise. "You kill her   
or they die. A simple choice. You act, they live. You fail, they die." A gloved   
hand extended, offering her an ebony wand. "Take it and use it, or do not and let   
them die. The choice is yours alone."   
  
"But one life or a dozen, it's still innocent life! How can I choose one over   
another? That's ... that's like asking me to choose who is more worthy of living!"   
Chibi-Usa cried, stepping back and away from the offered object.   
  
Reignfire's eyes gleamed mercilessly. "Either way, you choose. No matter what.   
It's part of ruling, servant; their lives are yours, as are the choices. There   
is no escaping it."   
  
Chibi-Usa was about to step out of the room when she felt something push her   
back in, and she found herself stumbling and nearly fell to the ground. When   
she once again regained her footing, she found herself standing in front of a   
woman, violet eyes meeting hers. 'Please save me, Princess.' she heard the   
woman's voice in her mind, though she didn't see her cracked, bloody lips move.   
  
Chibi-Usa staggered backward, whirling around, only to come face to face with   
two young men, bound to the walls by shackles. 'Don't let us die here!'   
  
'Don't abandon us!'   
  
She heard their voices rise in her mind and she clutched at the sides of her   
head, trying to shut them out. Then above the tearful pleas came another voice,   
smaller, weaker.   
  
'I want my mommy ... please, I want to leave...' Chibi-Usa's eyes snapped wide   
as they fell upon the child, her small voice ringing in her head.   
  
'Her mother's dead, Princess.' One final voice broke through the uproar, toneless   
and cold. Chibi-Usa suddenly jolted upright, her eyes widening. "I- I... " She   
turned to Reignfire, seeing nothing in the glow of his eyes but patient death.   
The wand didn't waver. "Your choice, servant."   
  
'Look at her, small one,' another voice instructed softly. 'She's dying; why   
not end it for her?'   
  
Chibi-Usa's mind felt like it was in the center of a great storm, and she   
couldn't find which way was the right way. All she knew was that she wanted   
to silence the cries of terror, the desperate pleading in her mind. She wanted   
to bring them all peace. As if in slow motion she moved toward Reignfire, her   
hand reaching out to the wand. "I can't let them die," she whispered, her hands   
shaking. Reignfire's hand fell away as she touched the wand, leaving it resting   
in her hand as he stepped aside.   
  
Chibi-Usa's breathing was coming in gasps, her entire body trembling in fear of   
what was to come. She forced her eyes to focus on the smooth ebony rod in her   
hand, forced her mind to comprehend what it was she held. "This is going to be   
someone's executioner," she said aloud.   
  
'No. It's going to be the child's savior,' a voice in her mind corrected as she   
turned stiffly to face the child. Chibi-Usa stood before the terrified girl,   
seeing the tears flowing freely from the child's eyes but not hearing the sobs   
and pleas that rose from her lips. It was if a wall had formed around the Princess,   
blocking out all but the chaos of sound from the other prisoners, begging for life.   
Life, even at the cost of this single, dying orphan. "I'm sorry." Chibi-Usa heard   
herself whisper as she raised the wand, aiming it at the small child's chest.   
"I'm so sorry...."   
  
A flash of light lit the room , and Chibi-Usa watched through a haze as the small   
child's form shuddered violently, her limbs flailing like those of a rag doll.   
Then all at once it stopped, and the girl fell to the side as her eyes stared   
lifelessly up at the ceiling. Chibi-Usa was only partially aware of the little   
one's death throws, as something else occurring in tandem with the child's demise   
monopolized her attention. She felt the wand drawing something from the child, toward   
her, into her; she tried to release the wand, but it remained firmly in her grasp.   
Then she felt it, a sensation that started as a soft, warm glow in her hand and slowly   
traveled along her arm, engulfing her entire body. Chibi-Usa heard a moan of pleasure   
escape her lips as her senses were lifted to a level never before experienced or even   
imagined. The pure power running into her set every nerve on fire, bringing her to   
heaven and back as she lost all sense of time in the ecstasy of absorbing the soul   
energy the wand had stolen from the child.   
  
The wand finally fell from Chibi-Usa's grasp, dropping to the floor with a muted   
clatter. "My gods." she whispered, her senses still reeling from the experience.   
  
Reignfire bent and plucked up the wand, returning it to his cloak. "Good work, my   
servant. You may leave if you wish. I will see to these people as we have agreed."   
  
Chibi-Usa's gaze turned to Reignfire, his words taking a moment to register in her   
clouded mind. Her eyes went from his to the wand and back again, then toward the   
doorway. Even through her cloud of euphoria, the idea of traversing that dark   
corridor scared her, but it was no longer dark. Down the center there lay a   
path of soft light, more than enough to illuminate her journey back to her room.   
"Thank you, my Lord." Chibi-Usa said, smiling slightly at him. She took one last   
look at those around the room, and a twisted sense of relief filled her. True,   
one child had died, but the rest of them would live. She had made the right choice.   
  
As if in a trance she moved out of the room, walking slowly and without fear   
down the hall to her chambers. With a satisfied sigh she pushed the doors open   
and headed straight for the softness of the bed. As she lay down her hand found   
her transformation brooch, glimmering in the soft light of the room. As the warm   
embrace of rest took her, the compact fell open in her palm to reveal the stones   
within. The eight stones on the outer edge hung dull and lifeless, not even shimmering   
slightly at her touch; some were cracked, and one was even shattered. In the center   
sat the crystal, the shard of the ginzuishou her mother had given to her. It sat   
proudly on its mount, still whole and unmarred, but it did not shine as brightly   
as it should have; a faint mist clouded its once clear surface.  
  
In the shadowed cell, Reignfire looked after his servant and fingered the wand   
slowly. "Very good indeed."   
  
"I think she liked it," a voice laughed from the shadows, golden eyes sparking   
to life. Carefully Siren stepped toward the center of the room, twirling the   
obsidian amulet suspended from around her neck loosely in her hand. "There's   
certainly some potential within her."   
  
Reignfire nodded, not turning to look at her but obviously aware of her presence.   
"Yes, a good first lesson." He turned, red eyes sweeping the room. "I think we can   
dispense with this now." As if in silent answer to his words the room seemed to   
ripple, bodies and prisoners fading until only the little girl's body in the   
corner of the room remained. Looking around the cell's bare obsidian walls, Reignfire   
laughed softly. "Pretty little fool. Didn't even stop to wonder why I'd bother to   
offer her real lives in exchange for trivialities."   
  
"Pretty she may be," Siren remarked, a slight edge to her tone as she moved closer   
to Reignfire. "But she's still young, an innocent, bound by ignorant morals and   
ethics. Still willing to try and see the good around her. Even in this place,   
even in you."   
  
Black robes hissed like serpents as Reignfire turned to her, glowing red eyes   
carrying just a hint of a smile. "Let her hold her delusions. The fall will be   
all the more bitter for them."   
  
Siren nodded, her hand reaching out and fingers gently running over the smooth   
handle of the wand Reignfire still held. "It's a pity, really, how easily her   
mind's already twisted. I was hoping for more of a challenge."   
  
Robed shoulders shrugged. "The flaw is there, but exploiting it will be a   
difficult process. We may have found the chink in her armor, but using that   
to shatter her will be far more difficult. " A gloved hand brushed her cheek,   
red eyes glittering fiercely. "Not that it will be beyond your skill, dearest."   
  
Ruby lips curled into a smile, eyes gleaming with fiery passion. "Oh, I know   
it's not, my lord. I've been observing our little Princess quite closely, and   
there's more than one way to burrow into her mind, more than one way to twist   
it and then ultimately shatter it into tiny bits."   
  
Reignfire nodded, turning to walk toward the door. Almost as an afterthought,   
he glanced back over his shoulder. "Do keep an eye on Dameon. He seems to have   
had a bit of difficulty keeping his hands off the prize."   
  
"Oh? Has he?" Siren's eyes darkened and her smile faltered slightly. "If he   
dares to even look at her again, he'll have hell to pay." Siren smiled darkly.   
"No one but I shall touch her, lord. I promise you that."   
  
Red eyes gleamed, boring into hers. "Indeed." There was a swirl of darkness,   
and he was gone. Alone in the chamber, Siren took on final glance at the body   
hunched in the corner, and walked out, quick steps echoing through the empty   
hall. The darkness appeared to part for her as she made her way to Chibi-Usa's   
chambers, swirling slightly as she paused there. Opening the door, she slipped   
into the darkened room and stood for a moment over the sleeping girl. "Rest well,   
small one. There's much more to come." Siren laughed softly and then was gone,   
leaving the Princess one final moment of peaceful rest.   
  
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Special thanks goes out to all those that have made this possible, including  
Soul for doing the first round of edits and helping with our sometimes horrendous  
spelling and typing skills, and Liz for doing the final round, making sure everything  
fits and correcting the little mistakes we'd never pick up.  
  
Additional thanks to my wonderful beta readers - Lena and Mako. Your questions   
and feedback helped me make this even better. And of course, thanks to all the   
readers that have writen and commented on Fallen Stars. You're part of the reason   
we do this. ^.~  
  
Fallen Stars has been a year in the making, hopefully it lives up to all expectations.  
Feel free to contact us with any praise, comments, moans, groans or suggestions.   
Feedback is a good thing. ^_^  
  
Email: fallen_star715@yahoo.com  
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	6. Part Three - Chapter 2

------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko  
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.  
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and  
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Fallen Stars  
by  
Lady Archanna & Archmage  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Part 3  
Chapter 2  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The setting sun cast a red shadow over the city, causing the crystal palace to   
shimmer with a bloody glow. In the once proud heart of the city there sat the   
ruins of what had been the center of everything, a true masterpiece of   
architecture. Now it stood crumbling, forgotten and shunned; the house of   
memories better left forgotten.   
  
In the center of the coliseum, a lone figure stood on the very spot where   
the Princess of Crystal Tokyo had last been seen. The silver blade of a deadly   
glaive sparkled with the burning, dying light of the sun. The one that held it   
stood statue still, the only movement from the purple skirt of her fuku and her   
straight, black hair that the wind clawed through, carrying the scent of death   
on its wings.   
  
Severe violet eyes wavered, tears slipping silently down pale, white cheeks as   
Saturn cried. Rebirth and healing were her powers, destruction and death her   
curse. This she accepted with open arms, prepared to do what was necessary; yet   
now her heart broke for the loss of a single girl. "Chibi-Usa-chan." Saturn's   
small voice seemed to ring loudly through the deathly silent field. Her hand still   
around the staff of her glaive, Hotaru knelt down and then winced in pain as the   
wound in her stomach protested the movement. A single white-gloved hand reached   
out to rest palm down on the dirt, and beside her hand she noticed a small stone   
that was now blackened and cracked. When she moved her finger to touch it, she   
felt something from the stone, some sort of enclosed energy that seemed to react   
to her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she had a feeling it might be a   
clue to something. Picking it up and holding it lightly in her palm, she noticed   
a small amount of heat radiating from it.   
  
As her eyes moved from the stone she could make out the distorted images of   
footprints, and she realized with a sinking feeling that they were those of   
Chibi-Usa. This was the last place she'd stood when Reignfire grabbed her.   
Saturn closed her eyes tightly, trying to banish the final image of the   
Princess from her mind, the look of utter fear and pleading in her eyes when   
she realized what was happening. "How did we let this happen?" Hotaru asked,   
her voice low and full of anger as her hand tightened around her staff. "How   
did we let him take something so precious from us without even trying to fight   
back?"   
  
"Because it happened too fast," a soft voice answered. Hotaru didn't turn to   
see who it was. She already knew.   
  
"Michiru, that's no excuse." Saturn replied, standing and brushing her hand   
off on her skirt.   
  
"I know it's not, Hotaru-chan. I know." Michiru's voice shook slightly. It   
hurt her to see the younger senshi in so much pain. "Chibi-Usa knows we didn't   
allow her to be taken. She knows we tried."   
  
"But we didn't!" Hotaru snapped, turning to meet Michiru's gaze. "That's the   
whole point. We didn't try! We didn't do anything but sit here and watch while   
that monster took her!"   
  
"You know that's not true, Hotaru." A deeper voice chided as a tall   
blonde-haired woman came up beside Michiru, hazel eyes regarding the   
senshi of death with love.   
  
"Isn't it?" Hotaru questioned, hugging her glaive in front of her like a   
shield as fresh tears began falling down her face.   
  
"Hai," Haruka responded, stepping toward the girl and bending slightly to   
meet her eyes. "However hard it is for any of us to accept this, there was   
nothing we could do." Haruka saw Saturn wince, saw her body tense. "There was   
nothing more that we could do. Reignfire made sure of that when he set the whole   
thing up."  
  
"I-I…" Hotaru's eyes rose to meet Haruka's, her lips trembling as she fought to   
hold back the flood of tears that was ready to pour forth.   
  
"It's okay, Hotaru-chan," Michiru was suddenly beside the girl, wrapping her arms   
gently around her shoulders as worried aqua eyes met Haruka's. "Let it out, little   
firefly. Let it out."   
  
"Chibi-Usa!" Hotaru sobbed, her arms wrapping tightly around Neptune's neck and the   
glaive falling to the ground with a clatter. She cried long and hard, mourning the   
loss of the light in her life, the one person that had always shown her the path   
through the darkness that had plagued her heart for so long. She barely noticed   
Haruka's arms joining Michiru's, encircling her and holding her gently.   
  
"It's okay, Hotaru-chan. We will get her back. Somehow we'll manage to return her   
to where she belongs." Haruka promised as her voice cracked, but she held back the   
tears with desperate will. She would not cry.   
  
"Serenity won't rest until Chibi-Usa is back, and you know that," Michiru added,   
feeling Hotaru's sobbing dying down though her breathing remained ragged.   
  
"Y-You're right," Hotaru hiccupped, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes,   
ashamed at having reacted so harshly. She had to be brave and she had to be strong,   
now more than ever. This was no time for tears; this was a time for action. Michiru   
and Haruka felt the girl pulling away, and they loosened their grips to allow her to   
bend down and retrieve her fallen weapon. When her eyes finally met theirs they were   
hard and set, her mind decided.   
  
"We will not sit back any longer and allow Reignfire to call the shots. We can't   
afford it." Hotaru said sternly. "There's more riding on our victory than just a   
city and the lives of the people that inhabit it. There's the life of the Princess,   
and if we lose that I have a feeling we're going to lose everything."   
  
Michiru gasped and exchanged a concerned glance with Haruka, not knowing how to   
respond to the younger senshi's statement. Saying that they could still win without   
regaining Chibi-Usa implied that they had doubts on whether or not they could   
accomplish such a task. Agreeing would mean that they too could see a possible   
end to the world they knew drawing dangerously near.   
  
"I'm returning to the Palace. I've got something I need to talk to Sets about."   
Hotaru turned abruptly, her eyes scanning the sight of their last miserable failure   
and then realized she still held the stone in her hand. Tucking it safely away in a   
small pouch at her side, she closed her eyes and sparked out of existence, leaving   
in her wake the two women that had been mother and father to her shocked and worried,   
wondering what was going to happen.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Rod took the steps from the situation room three at a time, checking his war-hammer   
to ensure it was within easy reach. He was so focused on his task that he almost ran   
down Sol, who was climbing up the stairs at a brisk trot. "Damn!"   
  
Sol glanced up at his friend, noting the battle gear. "What's happening?"   
  
Rod grimaced. "Riot, second precinct."   
  
Sol stared at him in disbelief. "Riot?"   
  
"You heard me. Going to help, or just stand there and stare like a moon-struck cow?"   
  
Sol winced, shifting himself into his battle gear. "Let's go." The stairwell   
flickered with light, and they were gone.   
  
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"We need to get these people under control!" Venus yelled over the din of   
screaming voices that rose from the square below. She and Jupiter stood on   
the roof of one of four buildings that sat on the perimeter of the Galactic Plaza.   
  
"No? Really? I thought this was normal," Jupiter snapped, wincing at the hurt   
look that flashed across the blonde's face. "What do you propose we do?" Venus   
looked down at the spreading chaos below and shook her head. She had no idea how   
they were going to handle this.   
  
Light flickered beside them as Rod and Sol snapped into view. Glancing down at the   
street, Sol gasped in astonishment. "Hell on earth!"   
  
Rod gave him a grim smile. "Not a bad description, actually." Below them, masses of   
people swarmed across storefronts and through shops, leaving only shattered   
destruction and the bodies of the trampled in their wake.   
  
"How are we going to get this under control?" Venus asked no on in particular,   
her hands clenching into fists at her side.   
  
"Venus, come in." Mercury's voice came over the communicator, rushed and full of   
static. "The crowd is moving north ... we have to try and head them off."   
  
"North?" Jupiter echoed, her stomach sinking, emerald eyes moving toward the   
indicated direction and falling upon the crystal facade of the palace. "This   
is not good."   
  
Another crackle of static hissed over the com-link. "This is Dragon. Mars is   
getting some odd feelings from just east of the crowd. Neptune and Uranus are   
going to join us in checking it out. Guard detachments are between the crowd   
and the palace. There shouldn't be a problem."  
  
Rod gave his soulmate a significant look. "Not a problem at this time, he means."   
  
Glancing at the others, Sol looked down at the tactical display built into his   
armor. "I'm going to go join them. You three want to meet up with the guard? I'm   
sure they could use the stiffening."   
  
Venus glanced at her husband and nodded, not wanting to split up, but knowing the   
problem was too big for them to move as one group. "Okay, just keep us informed."   
She reached out and quickly squeezed Sol's hand. "And call us immediately if you   
need backup."   
  
Sol smiled. "Com's in the helmet, dear. I'll yell if I need you."   
  
"Be careful," Venus whispered, stepping back to allow Sol room to transport.   
  
The air sparkled, and he was gone with a quiet flicker. Seconds later he reappeared   
on Rei's left, just behind Haruka. "Arrow reporting in. What have we got?"   
  
The fire senshi glanced over at Sol, her face fixed in a grim expression. "We're   
not sure yet. All we know is that there's something dripping with negative energy   
shadowing the crowd."   
  
Sol glanced past her shoulder, engaging the magical sensors built into his armor,   
then whistled. "You aren't kidding. Whoever he is, he's certainly not treading   
lightly."   
  
Uranus gave a grunt of disgust, quickly scanning the wreckage around them. "That   
he's not, and if we don't stop him he's going to take down half of Crystal Tokyo   
before the sun sets."   
  
"He's moving again." Neptune's voice rose in warning, sapphire eyes gazing into   
the smooth glass of her talisman.   
  
Nathan leaned over, trying to look past her shoulder. "Can you get a look at him?"   
  
"I-I'm not sure." Neptune's eyes narrowed as she focused more of her energy into   
her mirror, asking it to reveal their enemy. The glass began to crackle with light,   
and slowly a picture began to form. "I think ... Damn it! Whatever he is, he's got   
a wall of psychic energy around him that won't let the mirror through. We can feel   
him, we can follow him, but we can't see him."   
  
"Well, at least we're not fighting totally blind," Uranus commented bitterly, her   
fingers flexing around the hilt of her sword.   
  
Nathan grimaced, shifting his spear up. "In any case, that crowd's not getting any   
quieter. Let's go have a talk with the man."   
  
Rei glanced at Neptune and nodded, a pained expression on her face. "Yes. We need   
to do this now, because our friend isn't getting any weaker." The fire senshi's   
face had paled slightly, feeling the evil energies in the air almost doubling.   
"He's getting stronger."   
  
Sol blinked, looking at his scanners in disbelief. "It's almost like he's feeding   
off the anger that's coming off the crowd."   
  
Just then there was the boom of a large explosion, and the sounds of angry cries   
became nearly deafening. "Sounds like he's about to get a good feeding." Uranus   
cursed. "Let's not waste anymore time!"   
  
Nathan raised his hand. "Teleport on my mark. Three. Two. One. Mark."   
  
Mars and Neptune nodded, both Senshi preparing themselves to come face to face   
with the monster whose deadly intentions they'd both read. Without another word,   
the group blinked out of existence. The crackle of light brought them back to   
reality a half-dozen feet behind a hunched figure in the robes of a monk. The   
man turned, hidden within its brown cowl, and raised a broken voice to them.   
"Greetings, my lords and ladies. What brings you to my humble abode?"   
  
Nathan glanced around the crumbled ruins of what might once have been one of   
the extensive monasteries that had ringed this section of Tokyo. "Excuse us,   
brother, but we are seeking an enemy of the city."   
  
Rei's eyes narrowed as she scanned the wreckage, her eyes lingering over the   
robed man before them. 'He's here, Nathan, and he's close...'   
  
Nathan's combat sense kicked into high gear, scanning every fragment of the   
room for danger. 'I don't see him....'   
  
Neptune's fingers tightened around the handle of her mirror, turning in a tight   
circle in an attempt to weed out their adversary. Haruka stepped forward, hazel   
eyes trying to make out the face behind the dark brown hood. "Have you seen   
anything come through here-?"   
  
"Uranus!" Neptune gasped as she turned to face the man, her mirror blazing   
bright with light as it revealed the true form beneath the robe. "Look out!"   
  
The monk straightened, and there was a horrific tearing sound as the robe   
shredded under the ebony black claws that tore from inside it. A blast of   
fire erupted from the cloud of shredded cloth, blasting toward Haruka with   
deadly speed. Neptune's eyes widened as her lover just barely managed to leap   
out of the attack's path. The blonde landed four feet to the left in a crouch,   
sword drawn and ready to attack. The creature laughed, a booming bass sound   
that rattled off the walls as it straightened to its full height and stretched   
massive armored shoulders. Black claws clicked against each other, and ebony   
pits of eyes stared out of the crimson-skinned face. "Hello, Senshi. I hope   
your wills have been properly filled out and filed."   
  
A wave of fire lashed out, washing towards them in a blast of heat. Sol threw   
up an energy shield around them to block the flames as best he could, but he   
could still feel the heat through his armor. Neptune blinked, a brief sense   
of relief passing through her as Uranus was once again at her side. "Let's see   
if we can't cool him off a little." she said, raising her mirror and aiming it   
at their attacker. "Submarine Reflection!" she called, and a wall of water   
surged toward the beast and encircled him. The water hit the wave of fire,   
dousing it in a cloud of steam ...and from that cloud a deadly set of black   
claws erupted, slashing for Michiru's throat. There were sparks as the blade   
of Uranus' sword came down on the claws, blocking their decent and holding   
them at bay long enough for Neptune duck out of the way.   
  
"Mars Fire Storm!" Rei cried, aiming her attack at the monster's now exposed   
side, hoping to get him far enough away from Uranus so he didn't slice the   
senshi in two. The fire slammed into the thing, then washed over him without   
effect. The creature laughed, voice ringing off the walls.   
  
"Fool. Did you really think to harm Veros with fire?" Almost casually grabbing   
Haruka's sword in his claws, he wrenched it free and then slammed it into her   
gut before turning towards Rei. Claws gleamed dangerously ... and then Veros   
staggered back as a blast of golden energy slammed into an armored shoulder.   
  
"Back off the lady, scum!" Sol's eyes sparkled as he advanced, readying another   
volley of energy darts in his hand.   
  
Veros snarled, eyes flashing as the red glow in the black armor he wore faded.   
The reverse-bent knees he walked on might have looked awkward, but they gave   
him an animal grace as he shifted to meet the new threat. "Very pretty. Any   
substance behind that flash?"   
  
Sol growled, armor gleaming with deadly power. "Let's find out..."   
  
Uranus staggered backward, her vision swimming as a fire burned deep in her   
belly where her own blade had sliced into her. With great effort she managed   
to bend down, her fingers closing around the hilt of the sword. The room began   
to spin for a moment and she found herself down, crouched on one knee and trying   
desperately to hold onto consciousness. Through the haze she saw Veros' back to   
her, and she could hear Sol's voice challenging him. Using what strength she had   
left within her, she aimed her sword at him. "Space Sword Blaster!" she called,   
the attack hurtling with deadly accuracy at his exposed back before she fell to   
the floor, unconscious.   
  
Veros growled, lunging toward Sol, then almost casually sidestepped the oncoming   
attack blazing in from behind and allowed it to slam into Sol an instant before   
his claws slammed home. Sol hit the floor with a resounding crack, chest burning   
with pain at the force of the double blow. He was only half-aware of the partially   
melted state of his breastplate, but the feeling of residual heat was burning his   
chest harshly. 'Son of a bitch!'   
  
To the water senshi, the moment her soulmate fell to the ground the world seemed   
to have come to a standstill. It seemed like an eternity that she stood there,   
watching the deep crimson of Haruka's blood spread over her white fuku. Then   
she felt a rush of heat, and heard a cry of pain as Sol fell. Her head snapped   
around and her eyes fixed on the form of Veros, hatred burning within their   
depths. Once again she leveled her mirror at the beast, and once again she   
fired, but this time her attack was fueled by grief, anger and hatred. "Die."   
she breathed, watching as the attack struck home.   
  
The wave of water and force threw Veros into the opposite wall, and he came up   
with a hiss as his eyes met Michiru's. "For that, little one, you'll pay dearly."   
  
"I don't think so!" Mars growled, violet eyes narrowing. "Mars Flame Sniper!"   
she called, but instead of aiming the attack at Veros she aimed it at the already   
crumbling wall behind him. The impact sent it, and the roof above, falling in on   
him with devastating force. Veros lunged forward, barely dodging the falling beams,   
and came up with a devastating combination of blows that only Nathan's supernaturally   
enhanced battle-sense let him block.   
  
"Damn! How the hell are supposed to hit him?" Mars cursed, as Neptune moved beside   
her, both Senshi waiting for another opportunity to attack. 'We can't do anything   
while he's so close to Nate.' Rei swore under her breath, her heart twisting as   
she watched helplessly while her husband fought for his life. Spear and claws   
twisted in a deadly dance, warriors fighting with every tool available to them.   
There was a sickening crack and Nathan doubled over gagging as Veros stepped   
back and readied his final, decapitating blow. The claws gleamed, starting to   
fall, and then Nathan swung himself around in a foot sweep that bought him just   
enough time to scramble out of reach.   
  
Seeing the opening the two Senshi acted immediately. Neptune launched a stream   
of water at Veros' exposed back once more, giving Rei the chance to move to   
Nathan's side. 'Why do you have to be so damned valiant all the time?' Rei   
chided silently as she moved beside her husband, eyes narrowing at Veros.   
Closing her eyes for the briefest moment, she summoned her power into a   
single attack aimed for the ground at Veros' feet, causing the ground beneath   
him to heave and crack while a wall of fire rose to surround him.   
  
Veros stumbled, hissing as the wave of fire collapsed around him at his   
command. "I'll teach you all, you pathetic fools." Fire crackled in his   
hands, ready to strike with deadly force, and then he froze as though some   
unseen voice called his name. Razor teeth worked with frustration as the   
flames died in his hands and he straightened to his full height. "Consider   
yourselves lucky, fledglings. Next time you won't be able to count on a   
summons from my master to save you." Space warped around him, seeming to   
fall inward until nothing remained but a void. There was a soft pop, and   
he was gone without a trace.   
  
"That was an utter and complete..." Rei began, shaking her head in frustration   
as she moved to examine Nathan's injuries more closely.   
  
"Disaster?" Neptune finished, tears in her eyes as she moved beside her   
fallen lover and was relieved to see the blonde's chest moving with each   
breath. She lived, but from the amount of blood pooling about her Neptune   
wasn't sure for how much longer.   
  
Nathan grimaced, pulling himself to his feet and wincing at the feeling of   
broken bones grinding in his ribcage. "We need to get Haruka to a doctor,   
fast."   
  
Sol moaned, rolling onto his side and wincing at the feeling of seared skin   
on his chest tearing itself from partially melted armor. "You don't look so   
hot yourself, pal."   
  
Rei shook her head, glancing at Sol. "Neither do you, and you're going to be   
in worse shape when Minako sees the condition you're in."   
  
"Speaking of the others, shouldn't we let them know what's happened?" Neptune   
spoke up, gently brushing Haruka's hair off her forehead. "We're going to need   
their help." Neptune's voice cracked, tears threatening to fall from aquamarine   
eyes.   
  
Nathan took a deep breath, trying to think past the pain in his chest. "Yeah.   
Rei, get on the com to Hotaru and tell her to get here ASAP." Another deep   
breath brought on a groan as broken ribs scraped against vulnerable organs.   
"And ask the others if the crowd is calming down any."   
  
Rei nodded silently, pulling out her communicator, pressing the button that   
would alert all the Senshi. "Minna ... we've run into some trouble. We've got   
three people down, all seriously injured. Saturn, Mercury, we need you here   
ASAP." Rei pressed a button that would send their location to all the other   
Senshi, and closed the communicator. Now all they could do was wait.   
  
Within a few minutes, the air around them came to life as Senshi began   
appearing. First Saturn, whose face paled when she saw Haruka lying on the   
floor with Neptune's hands covered in her lover's blood. Immediately she set   
to work, kneeling beside the senshi and healing her wounds. The rest of the   
Senshi arrived soon after, their faces strained from dealing with rioting mob.   
From what Rei could gather over the hum of voices that surrounded her, the mob   
had calmed just moments before she'd called them. She nodded, realizing   
that with Veros' disappearance, the driving force behind the riots had vanished.   
  
The fire senshi watched with an odd sense of detachment as Ami set to work   
on her husband, trying to ignore the frown that appeared on the water senshi's   
face as she scanned his injuries. To distract herself she turned to where Venus   
and Sol sat on the floor, the blonde's arms around her husband and tears coming   
to her blue eyes when she realized how close she'd come to losing him.   
  
Slowly the Guardians regrouped themselves, took care of the wounded and got   
them ready to be brought back to the palace. As Rei stood, her eyes never   
leaving Nathan as he rose shakily to his feet with Rod's help, there was a   
knot in her stomach. Once again they'd discovered and faced the enemy, and   
once more they were returning to the palace injured and without anything to   
show for their efforts. No information, nothing. She had to wonder if the   
queen's orders and plans were up to handling the situations they found   
themselves thrown into. For the first time since she'd taken on the powers   
of the Sailor Mars, Rei found herself doubting her Queen.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The sound of footsteps echoed loudly in the empty stairwell as a small figure   
in a simple black dress moving slowly downward, ashen complexion and tired   
violet eyes telling of the exertion of the past few hours. Hotaru's hand   
grasped the banister tightly as she made her way down from the sickroom,   
desperately needing a breath of fresh air and a moment of rest. She'd spent   
the past six hours working diligently to help heal the wounds of the Senshi   
and Knights.   
  
She looked at her hands and could swear she still saw the dark red stains   
left by Haruka-papa's blood when she'd placed them over the gash in the   
woman's abdomen. She sighed heavily, remembering how pale Michiru looked   
when she'd left her sitting beside the blonde's bed waiting for her soulmate   
to awaken. She felt so cold, so lost, so tired that it would be so easy to   
just sit down and give it all up, but she couldn't. There were greater   
things than her own pain driving her on, people that needed her.   
  
Something warm settled about Hotaru's shoulders as she walked, the half-felt   
impression of arms holding her. 'It's all right, lady of my heart.'   
  
Hotaru stopped short, blinking in surprise at the faint sound of whispering   
in her ear. Looking around, she tried to find the source of the sounds but   
was startled to find the stairwell deserted save for her. She held her breath   
for a moment, hoping the voice would return as something within the recesses   
of her mind told her she wanted it to. After a few moments she shook her head,   
giving up. 'I'm just tired,' she told herself as she made her way to the bottom   
of the stairs and out into the fresh air of the courtyard.   
  
"Hotaru-chan." Setsuna's soft voice greeted her, wine-colored eyes carefully   
observing how worn the young girl looked.   
  
Hotaru managed a weak smile as she met the Time Senshi's gaze. "They're all   
going to be okay."   
  
Setsuna nodded, watching carefully as the girl collapsed into one of the four   
wicker chairs that sat around the small white table. "What about you? How   
are you doing?"   
  
"I'm ... I'm fine." Hotaru replied, withdrawing a small stone from her pocket   
and absently turning it over in her fingers.   
  
Mark's eyes fastened on the stone from across the table, voice growing rapidly   
hard with grim fear. "Is that what I think it is?"   
  
Hotaru looked up at him in surprise, the stone held between her thumb and   
forefinger. "What are you talking about, Mark? It's just a stone."   
  
"Don't recognize it?" Mark reached out and lifted the stone, the cracked colors   
tumbling randomly within its surface. " Think back to a party a few days ago."   
  
Hotaru looked more closely at the stone and suddenly gasped, realizing that   
Chibi-Usa was the last person she'd seen with it, except then it had been   
dangling from a silver chain with its surface smooth and shining. Mark nodded.   
"That's right. It's her wardstone. Meaning that wherever Chibi is, we can't   
find her; more importantly, whoever he is that has her knew enough to look   
for it."   
  
Setsuna's eyes closed, not wanting Hotaru to see the tears that rose in them,   
her hands tightening on the armrests of her chair. When she reopened her eyes,   
they were cold and held no emotion in them. "He's managed to best us every time   
we've faced him. His intelligence has never been in question."   
  
Hotaru blinked, the sudden change in Setsuna's voice unnerving her. "That doesn't   
mean there's no hope, it just means that finding her will take a little longer,"   
she ventured, but even she could see how little hope that statement held.   
  
Mark's voice was grim. "Let's assume for a minute we can find her, which I doubt   
we can. Every time we've fought him, we've come out with casualties and no   
results. Zero for two. So how are we expecting to beat him in his own stronghold?"   
  
"We can't just give up! We'll find some way to do it. We have to, for Chibi's   
sake!" Hotaru's voice rose, desperation clear in her voice and in her eyes   
when they turned to look at the Time Senshi. "We won't give up on her,   
will we, Setsuna?"   
  
"I ... I-" Setsuna bit her lip, trying to hold back the emotions that   
threatened her composure. "We'll do what we can, Hotaru-chan, but   
we must face the possibility that ... that we might not succeed."   
  
Mark grimaced. "Question is, what happens if we don't?"   
  
"That is not an option." Serenity's voice was firm, even if she still   
looked tired and worn as she stepped into the courtyard and her crystal   
eyes carefully regarded those assembled.   
  
Mark took a deep breath. "Not to be disrespectful, your majesty, but our   
opponent has shown the ability to twist people's emotions. What happens   
if he uses Chibi as bait or a hostage?"   
  
"We will get my daughter back. We will return her safely home," Serenity's   
eyes fell on Setsuna's, blue meeting magenta. "We have to get her back,   
right, Puu?"   
  
Setsuna cringed inwardly, hearing the pleading behind the Queen's question.   
She was looking for reassurance, for some small thread of hope to grasp onto   
that her daughter would indeed be returned to her. Unfortunately, that was   
something Setsuna could not give her. "We will try, Majesty."   
  
Mark's voice pressed quietly in her mind, gentle but firm. 'We'll fail, won't   
we Sets?'   
  
Setsuna's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she felt the control she was   
fighting to maintain slipping away as she looked into Serenity's eyes. She felt   
something inside her tearing slowly, shattering like brittle glass. 'Gods...'   
  
"Setsuna?" Hotaru's voice was soft, seeing the pain on the woman's face,   
something she'd never seen so evident on the normally unreadable Time   
Senshi's face. "What's wrong?"   
  
Mark leaned forward, ignoring the others to take Setsuna in his arms. "Oh,   
Sets." Serenity felt her legs weaken as she watched Setsuna cry, the woman's   
body shaking within her lover's embrace. Her chest seemed to tighten, and suddenly   
it was hard for her to breath as a realization crashed over her, threatening to   
drown her.   
  
"Setsuna, tell me the truth. Are we going to get Chibi-Usa back?" Serenity demanded,   
leaning her hands on the table for support. "Tell me, damn you! She's my daughter!   
I have the right to know!"   
  
Mark's eyes flashed, rising to meet Serenity's. For an instant all respect vanished,   
only fierce protectiveness remaining. "Serenity, enough. She can't tell you, and if   
you don't know that then you haven't been paying attention for the past thousand  
years."   
  
Serenity winced as if she'd been slapped across the face, her lips tightening   
as she looked at the Knight and met his gaze. "Then I will hold her silence   
accountable for my daughter's life, if she can't even look past her duty long   
enough to help save the one person in this world I know she would sacrifice   
anything for."   
  
Hotaru winced at the harsh words, barely recognizing the voice that came from the   
Queen's lips, so full of anger, frustration and despair that it sounded alien.   
Her small hand closed around the stone as she tried to maintain control. "Serenity,   
please."   
  
Fury burned in Mark's eyes, his voice rising dangerously. "I appreciate your pain,   
Serenity. But realize this. Setsuna's first duty is to the universe as it is; indeed,   
to the whole of creation. If you don't understand how badly having to stand by   
and let happen something she would give her life to stop hurts her, then to hell   
with you and your petty kingdom."   
  
Through the haze of tears, Setsuna heard Mark's words and cringed, squeezing   
her eyes shut tightly. "I'm sorry, Majesty. I'm so sorry..." Setsuna sobbed,   
cursing her own weakness but at the same time not caring.   
  
"I ... I..." Serenity looked at the Time Senshi, as if just seeing her tears   
for the first time. "My gods ... Sets..." Serenity's hand flew to her mouth.   
"I'm so sorry...." Serenity backed away from the table, blue eyes wide in   
shock. "I'm sorry..." She turned and ran back into the palace without another   
word.   
  
Mark gently lifted his eyes to Hotaru, the fire in them burnt out to ashes of   
bitter sadness. "I'm going to take her back to our rooms. If you need us, we'll   
be there." Lifting Setsuna in his arms, he gently carried her down the steps as   
her tears continued to soak into his cloak.   
  
Hotaru watched in stunned silence as Mark carried Setsuna away, her mouth   
hanging slightly agape. 'What the hell was that?' he asked silently, still   
trying to sort out the surge of emotions that had collided before her. Two   
of the few people in this world she knew and trusted had just turned into   
complete strangers before her.   
  
"Serenity doesn't scream, she doesn't place blame," Hotaru whispered, her   
eyes focusing on the stone she held in her hand, "and Setsuna doesn't ...   
doesn't cry...."   
  
The voice that spoke behind her was quiet as a whisper but infinitely sad.   
"Reality has a way of changing that, heart."   
  
"Yes it d-..." Hotaru's voice died in her throat when she realized she was   
not alone. Slowly, without a word, she turned her head toward the sound   
of the voice but found only the empty courtyard.   
  
"Hello?" She called, her voice low, not feeling endangered or frightened but   
definitely intrigued. She'd responded to the voice as she would have to the   
voices of any of the Senshi, a sense of familiarity ringing in the sound.   
  
There was no answer, but a feeling of warmth seemed to rise around her.   
The stone on the table flickered slightly, something seeming to move in   
its depths even as she had the distinct feeling of arms wrapping around her   
waist. Violet eyes widened as her body reacted to the phantom touch, a   
small shiver passing through her. As the initial shock wore off, her eyes   
closed slightly, something strangely comforting in the unseen force enveloping   
her in calming warmth. 'Why does this feel right?' Hotaru asked herself, feeling   
her tears and her fright melting away.   
  
'Time divides but cannot sunder, beloved.'   
  
"Who are you?" Hotaru breathed once more, not wanting to disturb the eerie   
silence that blanketed the courtyard but wanting to find answers.   
  
A soft laugh filled her mind, gentle and laced with love. 'You'll remember   
in time, my love.' The sense shifted, fading away. 'You'll remember.'   
  
Hotaru released a sigh of disappointment as she felt the unseen embrace  
disappear, the soft words echoing in her mind. "What happens if we don't   
have that much time left?" Hotaru asked aloud, her hand closing around the   
small, cracked stone and putting it in her pocket. "What if time's running out?"   
  
The silence held no answer, only an echo of her question.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The pitch blackness that blanketed the room seemed to shift and tear, twin   
sparks of amber light appearing out of nothing. Suddenly the darkness seemed   
to flee from an orb of silver light that grew, revealing the slim form of a   
woman, honey-colored hair sweeping down her back. Ruby lips curled into a   
spiteful smile as the light illuminated the face of the Princess below, tear   
stains still apparent on her porcelain cheeks.  
  
"Time to wake up, small one." Siren's voice suddenly boomed through the sleeping   
girl's mind, causing red eyes to snap open, a cry of surprise escaping her mouth.  
  
"What?" Chibi-Usa shook her head, feeling it spin as she sat up too fast and   
her limbs protested the movement.  
  
"Good morning, child." Siren greeted her, amber eyes sparkling with pleasure at   
the confusion that ruled Chibi-Usa's thoughts.  
  
"You!" Chibi-Usa's voice stuttered, her mind still trying to decide if she still   
dreamed or not; the lines between reality and illusion had blurred long ago.  
  
"Yes, me." Siren lowered herself carefully to the floor beside the bed, eyes   
locking on the Princess's. "Would you rather it be one of my pets? Or Dameon,   
perhaps?"  
  
Chibi-Usa shook her head vehemently. "No! Please." She hated the pleading sound   
of her own voice, wishing she could be stronger.  
  
"Oh, you're strong enough, small one." Siren smiled, sitting on the edge of the   
bed, noting how the girl drew away from her. "Why are you so frightened of me,   
child?"  
  
Chibi-Usa didn't answer, instead she simply looked at the woman sitting before   
her with confusion for a few moments.  
  
"Is it because of my strength?" Siren's eyes flashed and her amulet glowed with   
a dull light. "Is it because of the rigors I've put you through, the lessons I've   
forced you to learn?"  
  
Images suddenly flashed before Chibi-Usa's eyes. Images of her sitting in a   
chair, unable to move, forced to watch as Siren's minions made short work of   
some of their prisoners. Her eyes closed tightly as the screams once again   
filled her ears. She remembered Siren looking at her, giving her a choice.   
She could make their screams end, she could make it all stop. All Chibi-Usa   
needed to do was kill them, end their suffering and misery for all time.   
Chibi-Usa felt tears rise in her eyes as she demanded she couldn't, that   
she couldn't take the life of an innocent. Siren's laughter had rung through   
the small room, off the cold stone walls, soon to be drowned out by the   
screaming victims.  
  
"Or is it because I can offer you something that you've never before   
experienced?" Siren's voice lowered as she leaned closer to the princess,   
their faces inches apart. "Something you desperately want to experience again?"  
  
Sensations once again flooded Chibi-Usa's mind, along with emotions that   
caused her equal amounts of pleasure and disgust. Memories of unseen hands   
on her, a voice so familiar whispering in her ear, telling her things she'd   
thought she'd never hear. Even though she knew it was an illusion, even   
though her mind screamed for her to fight it, that it was not her love that   
kissed her, that held her, that made her forget about everything else, still   
her body responded and let it happen. Even afterwards, when she saw beside her   
Siren's glowing amber eyes glimmering with amusement rather than the loving gaze   
of her soulmate, she still wanted more.  
  
"I-I'm not scared!" Chibi-Usa screamed, her voice breaking as she turned her   
back to Siren, not wanting her to see the tears in her eyes. "I can't be."  
  
"You can't be?" Siren's eyes sparkled. "Oh, but Princess, I think you can and   
I know you are."  
  
Chibi-Usa's fingers dug into the soft mattress as she felt Siren probing into   
her mind, unable to stop it. "You're wrong!" she shrieked again.  
  
"Oh, I don't think so." Siren smiled, her hand reaching out to rest gently on   
Chibi-Usa's shoulder. "But you don't have to hide it from me, little one. I   
won't shun you because of it, I will teach you to overcome it."  
  
Chibi-Usa shuddered, Siren's words echoing in her mind. "Overcome it?" she   
repeated, her voice low as a sudden calm fell over her.  
  
"Yes. Reignfire and I will teach you, rather than shelter you. We will let   
you chose your own path. We will let you turn your back on what the cruel   
fates have laid out for you; we will give you a freedom you yearn for." Siren   
moved closer, her lips just inches from the girl's ear. "You simply need to let   
it happen."  
  
Chibi-Usa felt the woman's warm breath on her skin and a shiver ran down her   
spine, every nerve suddenly surging to life. "I don't believe you!"  
  
"I won't desert you, Princess." Siren's voice lowered to just above a whisper,   
heavy with unspoken promises. "I won't ask you to be what you're not; I'll ask   
you to be what you've always desired."  
  
Chibi-Usa felt her mind fogging, her eyelids growing heavy. Siren's words resounded   
in her mind over and over again, ringing with some sense of twisted truth. A truth   
that some part of Chibi-Usa wanted to believe more than anything.  
  
"Look at me, Princess." Siren's command was gentle as slim fingers reached out to   
turn red eyes to meet amber ones, locking on them unwaveringly. "We will not turn   
our backs on you, no matter what you do."  
  
Tears rose in the Princess's eyes, her lips trembling as her mind warred with   
itself, relief and fear going head to head as she felt Siren's presence   
surrounding her.   
  
"You will be given the power you need to protect yourself, to take things into   
your own hands." Siren's voice softened even more, caressing the girl with every   
word. "You've felt that power before; this time, it will be yours to keep if you   
allow us to give it to you."  
  
Chibi-Usa's mind was suddenly filled with faded memories of a battle in which she'd   
fought against the Senshi, against her own mother and father. However, instead of   
the disgust and shame that memory tended to dredge up there was only yearning, a   
desire to once again hold that raw power in her hands and be able to fight her   
own battles.  
  
"This time your mind will be free, not enslaved," Siren whispered as her hand   
gently stroked the girl's face, her other hand moving to Chibi-Usa's lap. "This   
time you won't simply be a tool, a puppet; this time you'll truly be free of all   
the shackles that have held you, free to do as you please."  
  
Red eyes closed, her grip on the sheets beneath her loosening as her body relaxed,   
Siren's touch and words calming something within her and allowing her to look at the   
two paths that lay before her without guilt or a sense of responsibility. Instead   
she was aware only of her own desire, her own burning need for something that had   
always been denied her and set off limits.  
  
"I-I want..." Her words were barely more than a whisper, tears slipping slowly from   
beneath closed eyes.  
  
"What do you want, child? Tell me and I will make it yours." Siren whispered, moving   
closer as her arm snaked around Chibi-Usa's waist.  
  
"I want to be free...." Chibi-Usa breathed, a shiver passing through her as she felt   
Siren draw closer. The other woman's touch radiated with an enticing promise of what   
was to come, something that part of Chibi-Usa wanted while another one cowered at the   
thought.  
  
"Free of what?" Siren pressed, her lips just inches away from the girl's face.   
  
"Of everything." Chibi-Usa replied, a small sigh rising as she felt Siren's lips brush   
hers ever so lightly.  
  
"Of this?" Siren asked, flooding the girl's mind with images of battles fought   
centuries ago, of a cage masked with shimmering crystal, invisible shackles hidden   
beneath a crown she would one day be forced to wear.  
  
"Yes." Chibi-Usa breathed.  
  
"What about this?" Images once again filled Chibi-Usa's mind. Faces flew by, faces   
of Senshi with whom she'd battled time and time again, Senshi that had always   
sheltered her, always been there to keep her out of harm's way whether she needed   
it or not. In their eyes she saw not love but pity, disgust and belittlement.  
  
"Gods, yes!" The princess's voice rose, her words ringing through the room.  
  
"And finally, what about this?" Siren's hand had slipped to Chibi-Usa's shoulder   
and she held it firmly, feeling the girl flinch at the final blast of memories   
Siren shot back at her.   
  
Shimmering sliver hair and piercing blue eyes looked down at Chibi-Usa, looked   
at her as if she was a child. Silently that gaze demanded that she sit silently   
by and allow this Queen, this proclaimed angel on earth choose her path for her,   
no matter how lonely and unfulfilling it appeared. She looked into her mother's   
eyes and for a moment saw an empty shell, a person that lived only to direct the   
destinies of others, to make sure that they didn't experience the same pains, the   
same tears, the same losses; to make sure they existed in a fine glass shell from   
which they would never be able to truly experience life.  
  
"Yes. I want to be free of that...." Chibi-Usa sobbed quietly.  
  
"Good." Siren's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Turn your back on them, turn to   
Reignfire and you will be free, finally and truly free." Siren carefully loosened   
her grip on the Princess's mind and waited.  
  
Suddenly the image of Neo-Queen Serenity changed; no longer did the eyes appear   
empty, no longer did Chibi-Usa feel the overwhelming resentment toward her. Instead   
she felt the warm, safe love her mother offered; the unshakable faith she held in   
all those she love; the desire to do whatever was necessary to make sure that   
everyone was happy.  
  
Chibi-Usa's hands snapped up to hold her head, a war breaking out as she tried   
to sort through the opposing memories and feelings that surged up as Siren further   
lessened her influence on the Princess's mind. Her mind fought to sort through   
everything, trying desperately to find what was true and what was false, trying   
to find something to cling to.  
  
"Princess, you're fighting a losing battle." Siren whispered softly, holding the   
girl's head so when confused red eyes opened they met hers.  
  
"What?" Chibi-Usa gasped.  
  
"You're fighting a losing battle. You're trying to find the false thoughts, the   
lies that have been put into your head." Siren's voice rose slightly, taking on   
a mocking tone. "But what you don't understand is this: I've placed nothing in   
your mind. I've only helped to bring forward things you've had locked so tightly   
away that even you didn't know they were there."  
  
"I-I don't understand...." Chibi-Usa's head shook slightly.  
  
"You don't want to," Siren corrected, her fingers digging into the girl's face.  
  
"No! You're lying!" Chibi-Usa cried, her chest heaving as she continued to fight   
to regain control of her thoughts, to once again make them her own.  
  
"They already are, my child." Siren smiled wickedly. "You just have to decide   
which ones you choose to obey. The ones that will set you free of everything   
that holds you into a life you don't want, the ones that grant you a freedom   
that you've never before imagined. Or do you chose the ones that will lock you   
forever behind the gate of a crystal cage and condemn you to a death that will   
mean nothing because you will have lived, not for yourself, but for someone   
else that wishes to control you?"  
  
Chibi-Usa's eyes widened, her sobs suddenly stopping. Her eyes searched Siren's   
for some sign of deception, for something that would tell her this wasn't   
happening, that would tell her the woman's words were nothing but lies meant   
to twist her mind. She looked, and all she saw was a reflection of herself in   
the amber orbs, and a dark promise that every word spoken was true. Every word.  
  
"NO!" Chibi-Usa screamed, tearing herself out of Siren's grip and falling face   
down on the bed, sobbing into the pillows.  
  
Siren's eyes glittered with satisfaction as the Princess fell apart before her,   
as the carefully constructed walls in her mind came tumbling down. True, Siren   
had helped, and true Siren had managed to increase the impact of each memory,   
each emotion the girl felt, but Chibi-Usa didn't need to know that. Slowly she   
rose from the bed, a smile spreading across her lips as she took one final glance   
at the sobbing girl. "It's time," Siren whispered just before the air came to   
life and she disappeared, leaving Chibi-Usa to suffer at the hands of her own mind.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The dress shoes clicked softly on tile, drawing the eyes in the small concourse   
of the shattered Solar Wisdom mall to the shadows of the open door. A flash of   
silver and flame flickered as a lighter snapped open, and then the soft glow of   
a cigarette illuminated the narrow face of a man. Thin eyebrows lowered above the   
man's piercing eyes as gaunt cheeks drew on the cigarette, then rose toward slightly   
graying hair as thin lips exhaled a ring of smoke that hung for a moment before a   
neatly trimmed beard before sinking from view. "A pity, all this."   
  
One of the men along the wall grunted sourly, gesturing to the gaping hole in the   
wall that opened onto the street. "I'll put that up for the understatement of the   
year. What I want to know is where the Senshi were when those things appeared and   
tore this place apart at the seams."   
  
"I'm just a simple businessman. Government matters are quite beyond me." The man   
in the doorway gestured with the cigarette, silvery buttons on his suit gleaming   
slightly as he moved out into the light. One of the women blinked in surprise at   
the elegant three-piece suit, the embroidered vest and the leather briefcase.   
  
"What's your business?"   
  
"Oh, this and that." Setting the briefcase carefully on a broken pillar, the man   
gave her a smile as smooth as polished glass. "I sell interesting things that I   
happen to come across."   
  
A young man in a somewhat bedraggled blue suit leaned forward curiously. "What   
have you got?"   
  
The man looked the youth up and down, sharp eyes seeming to size him up in an   
instant. "Let me see." Opening the briefcase and reaching into it, he came out   
a moment later with several small tubes and a portable injector that looked like   
it had been bought from a medical supply shop. "You look a bit on the worn side,   
my friend. Trouble sleeping?"   
  
The youth shrugged, painfully aware of the dark circles under his own eyes. "You   
have to admit, our current situation doesn't lend itself to peaceful repose."   
  
"Here. This should help take the edge off." A quick motion and the tubes changed   
hands before the youth even really thought about it. "A sample. If you'd like more   
or want to share it around, my contact's on the card."   
  
The give and take of sample goods continued for several minutes, and might have   
gone on longer if the sounds of many approaching footsteps had not pulled attention   
through the gap in the wall to the woman who walked slowly down the empty street.   
  
Long white pigtails swung down across bare shoulders and the shimmering purity of   
the long white dress whose hem was now smeared with dust and blood. Blue eyes held   
a near-immeasurable sadness as they looked out over the devastation that lay around   
her, the empty street that slowly filled with those from the surrounding buildings   
and the silent crowd that walked behind her. Slim, girlish, good-hearted to the   
point of naiveté; she was all of these, but more. Somehow, in those wide eyes and   
that diminutive figure, throbbed the beating heart of Crystal Tokyo. The very ruins   
themselves seemed to throb with her presence as she passed by, her people following   
with silent awe and respect that even tragedy had been unable to break. As her eyes   
passed over him, the man closed his briefcase and quietly slipped back into the   
shadowed doorway. Turning back for a final glance at Serenity, the avatar of Gluttony   
smiled with a razor-edge in his penetrating eyes. "You're a worthy opponent for my   
lord. A pity you don't have the slightest clue how to use the power you have." The   
cigarette flared for a moment as he tossed it aside, dying as it fell to the pavement.   
When the small girl chased through the empty doorway a few minutes later, she didn't   
even notice the tiny piece of paper-wrapped tobacco she crushed beneath her heel.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Darkness crackled in the air for a long moment before coalescing into a tall figure   
almost blacker than the void from which he stepped. Ebony robes swirled in the gentle   
breeze, the dying sunlight seeming to soak into the cloth without a trace. Reignfire   
stood for a handful of heartbeats looking out over the city, then leaned out over the   
larger pile of rubble on which he stood to look at the people who strode about their   
lives below.   
  
"Pitiful, aren't they?" Siren's voice was full of contempt, her hair sparkling as   
golden as her eyes in the fading light. She moved up beside him, her fingers playing   
with the obsidian amulet about her neck.   
  
Reignfire's eyes sparkled with deadly amusement. "You'd almost think they believe   
their petty little lives will go on uninterrupted."   
  
Siren laughed. "Poor deluded fools." She watched a couple move below them, their   
young faces creased with worry that had not been there a few scant weeks ago. "I'm   
sure their Queen would love to keep it that way, though. Keep them in the dark even   
as their world falls to pieces around them."   
  
Reignfire looked at her, gesturing out over the city. "I think it's time we made that   
a bit more difficult, don't you?"   
  
Siren's eyes gleamed with evil intent as they met his, a smile sliding across her lips.   
"I couldn't agree with you more, my Lord. The question is how best to accomplish that   
particular task."   
  
Reignfire's eyes glowed brightly, and there was a ghost of a smile in his voice. "Oh,   
I think you'll be quite pleased." Below them, there was a crackle of energy near the   
human couple as a gate opened and a pack of hell-hounds erupted from it. Razor-edged   
claws flashed, and as the screams began to rise from below them, Reignfire turned back   
to Siren. "How do things proceed with our guest?"   
  
Siren's attention was momentarily riveted to the scene below her, both entranced and   
disgusted by the ferocity with which the beasts ripped the couple to shreds.   
Reignfire's words finally registered in her mind, and shaking her head slightly   
she turned back to him, the images still seared into her mind. "She's doing quite ...   
well. I've managed to nearly break her." Ruby lips curled into a satisfied smile. "It's   
always amazing to me how many insecurities and fears these humans hold within themselves   
and how utterly easy it is to exploit them."   
  
Reignfire's eyes gleamed as they pierced hers, looking into her soul with an almost   
casual ease born of long practice. "You're enjoying yourself."   
  
"Immensely, my Lord." Siren's smile widened, not turning away from his probing gaze.   
"She's been extremely ... entertaining, shall we say."   
  
His mind slid across hers, an embrace that went beyond word or touch to encompass her   
entire being. 'Indeed...'   
  
A small shiver of pleasure passed through Siren as she felt their minds meeting and   
merging, enjoying the feeling of unseen arms embracing her. "I cannot thank you enough   
for giving her to me. I will certainly be disappointed when my work with her is through."   
  
Reignfire smiled in her mind as he drew back from the link, turning to glance down at   
the hell-hounds as they split off and vanished into the alleyways of the city. "I   
think it's time we returned home, my lady."   
  
Siren's smile faltered a bit as she felt him draw back, but she nodded and pushed her   
disappointment to the back of her mind and locked it away. "Yes, I've still got some   
more work to do on our little Princess if we want her ready in time."   
  
Reignfire's eyes gleamed. "I have just the thing." The universe collapsed around them   
and they were gone.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
'This isn't happening… this isn't happening...' Serenity's mind screamed as she tore   
through the corridor, the few guards stationed in the doorways glancing at her   
worriedly. It wasn't often they saw their Queen in such utter despair.   
  
'Mamo-chan!' Her mind cried, blue eyes closing to blink back tears that still   
streamed down her face. 'Gods… where are you?'   
  
She forced her mind to stop spinning long enough for her to find him, and she   
turned toward his office, her chest burning from lack of air. When she reached   
his door, she pushed through it, sending it hurling into the wall behind her   
without even noticing the bloody hand prints she left behind.   
  
He was on his feet in a heartbeat, his arms wrapping around her and holding   
her tight. "I'm here, Usako."   
  
"Oh, Mamo-chan!" Serenity sobbed, burying her face against his chest, her arms   
wrapping tightly around him as her body shook with sobs. 'It's ... it's horrible!   
There was so much blood, and ... and all the people, and I couldn't do anything!'   
she cried into his mind, her thoughts whirling at a mile a minute.   
  
He tried to soothe her as best he could, gently drawing the memories into his own   
mind only to grimace in horror at the images imprinted on his wife's soul. 'What   
in the name of the gods?'   
  
Even in her soulmate's arms, the images still terrified her, still cut her to the   
core. Serenity could still smell the burnt flesh and the coppery stench of the   
blood that had soaked into the ground, turning it nearly black in color. She'd   
been out in the city, trying to take stock of how much damage had truly been   
suffered at the hands of the enemy. Just as she'd entered a small alleyway, she'd   
heard the screams.   
  
'Gods ... the screams were so loud.' Her head shook, the sound still echoing in her ears.   
  
Stroking her hair he lowered them to the couch and pulled her gently into his lap.   
'There wasn't anything else you could have done, my love. Your quick action saved   
even more from being killed."  
  
Serenity pressed herself as close to her husband as possibly, hoping that in doing   
so she could push the memories out of her mind. When she'd emerged from the alley,   
she'd come upon a scene straight out of her worst nightmare. Two beasts, like those   
they'd fought in the stadium when they'd faced Reignfire, were in the center of the   
plaza, their snarling mouths and razor sharp claws dripping with the blood of their   
victims.   
  
She must have cried out when she'd seen the utter horror, because one of the beasts   
turned to her, a chunk of flesh hanging from its snout and growled at her. The low,   
animalistic sound sent a spike of fear into her heart and she'd acted almost   
immediately. She'd raised her crystal, and with a single word the entire area   
had been bathed in silver light. When it cleared all that remained were the torn   
and broken bodies of the innocent victims.   
  
Endymion stroked her hair, kissing her tear-stained cheeks. "You did you best,   
love. What else was there to do?"   
  
"But I'm supposed to be the one protecting them from that sort of thing. I'm   
supposed to be making it so that something like that can't happen!" Serenity's   
voice was ragged, her breaths coming in uneven gasps. She was the one that they   
looked to for protection. That was her duty, her destiny, and so far she was   
doing a horrid job of it. She hadn't even had the ability to save the single   
life that the beasts spared, a small girl who'd been thrown to the side when her  
attacker had grown tired of her. She lay in a pool of her own blood, her right   
arm set at an impossible angle and tears falling from frightened hazel eyes.  
  
Serenity heard her sobs and had immediately rushed to the girl's side, kneeling   
down beside her, not caring about the blood that soaked into her gown. As she   
moved the child's head carefully into her lap, her mind registered the sounds   
of movement behind her, of muffled sobs as people emerged from their hiding   
places to see the aftermath of the attack. She could still here a man's voice   
pleading with her to save his daughter; she could still see his face before her,   
eyes begging for this one thing, this one act. Serenity felt her heart breaking   
as she felt the child draw her final breath, knowing that healing her was beyond   
even the great Queen's powers.   
  
Endymion rocked her in his arms, wishing her somehow had the words to wash her   
pain away. As it was, all he could do was try and wrap her in his love as best   
he could.   
  
"I've failed them." Serenity breathed, her eyes closing as she felt something   
inside of her breaking, dying. "Mamo-chan, I've failed my people. I've failed   
Crystal Tokyo. I've failed Earth. I've failed Chibi-Usa. I've failed everyone...."   
Her words were eventually lost, replaced by the soft sounds of her sobs.   
  
"Oh, love." Endymion's hands caressed her shoulder, his mind brushing her as he   
tried to form the words to comfort her. "You've done all there is to do. What   
more could you have done?"  
  
Serenity blinked, pulling back to look at him. "I could stop this. That's what   
my duty is, to stop this type of thing before it starts. Before so many innocent   
lives have been lost, before those I love are forced to pay the price."  
  
Serenity shuddered, still remembering the whispers of the people that surrounded   
her as she handed the dead child to her father. She could still hear his cries of   
anguish, and she could still feel the looks of betrayal and disappointment the   
people had given her. Their mighty Queen, the woman they entrusted their very   
existence to had suddenly lost her position of power in their minds. Their angel   
of hope and mercy had fallen to earth right before their eyes.  
  
Endymion stroked her face, looking down into those haunted blue eyes with a gaze   
that spoke love and understanding. "You can't always save everyone, my love. Even   
when you want to."  
  
"That's... that's...." Serenity's eyes closed and she shook her head, trying to   
find the words. "That's just not acceptable! So many people have put their   
lives in my care!" Serenity's hands rose before her eyes, and for the first time   
she saw the blood staining them. "My gods." Her eyes went wide and she suddenly   
forced herself out of Endymion's arms, jumping to her feet and staggering backward,   
eyes focused on the dark red stains on her palms.  
  
He gently rose to his feet, taking her hands in his, seeing the red smear over his   
palms and not caring. "We'll find him, love, and when we do he'll pay for this."  
  
Serenity watched her hands disappear into Endymion's, love radiating from his touch   
and his words, managing to seep through the landslide of pain she was buried behind.   
"And until then more innocents die." she whispered, her eyes rising to meet his, and   
she found herself silently making a wish she hadn't made in nearly two millennia. She   
found herself wishing it would all just go away, that Reignfire, his minions, Crystal   
Tokyo, the crystal and all the responsibilities it entailed would all vanish and leave   
her in peace.  
  
Endymion gently gathered her into his arms, not caring about the blood that stained   
his suit. 'I know, my love. I've had that particular thought more than a few times   
today. Still, we'll make it. We always have before.'  
  
Serenity nodded slightly, her breathing still ragged, her body still shaking. She   
trusted the man that held her more than she trusted any other being in this universe,   
and she knew that together their strength was immeasurable. She knew all this and   
still the thought that had crossed so many people's minds over the past weeks managed   
to take hold in her mind, sinking its claws deeply into her subconscious. What if they   
couldn't? What if this was the exception? 'What if this is the end?' Endymion looked   
into her eyes for a long moment, but could find nothing to say.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Darkness coiled and twisted within the abyss, swirling about the throne in its heart   
like the reach of some tremendous creature. Red eyes glowed in the void, the only   
light within the entire room. Large ebony doors slowly swung open, two forms entering   
silently. A set of golden eyes found red ones, a smile playing across ruby lips, while   
the other entered the room with eyes downcast and shoulders slumped slightly, and   
inside the pink-haired head a storm raged.  
  
'She's ready.' Siren's voice rang confidently in Reignfire's mind as she and Chibi-Usa   
came to a stop in the center of the room.  
  
A soft glow rose around the throne, and the man upon it stood in a hiss of black robes.   
"Good evening, my servant."  
  
Chibi-Usa's mind told her to remain silent, reminding her she served no one, but still   
she heard her own voice speak; it sounded as though it echoed from the bottom of a well   
miles below her. "Good evening, my Lord." When she spoke her voice stayed low, her eyes   
still focused on the floor.  
  
Red eyes gleamed with deadly power. "I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your time   
with us."  
  
Chibi-Usa only nodded, her hands clasped in fists at her sides. 'I don't know if I'd   
call it enjoyment,' she thought bitterly, memories of punishments beyond her worst   
nightmares flashing across her mind.  
  
"Oh, you seem to have come through alive and well."  
  
Siren's eyes narrowed. 'Watch it, little one.' Siren's voice burned into her mind.   
'You will show proper respect to your Lord.'  
  
Chibi-Usa flinched. "I'm sorry, my Lady." she said aloud, her body beginning to   
shake slightly.  
  
"She's done very well, Lord. Very well." Siren's voice was soft, her eyes sparkling   
in anticipation. "I believe you'll be pleased."  
  
Reignfire rose slowly, walking down the steps with the steady glide of a stooping   
hawk. "Do you remember who you serve, Princess?"  
  
"I ... I...." Chibi-Usa's mind spun, part of her wanting nothing more than to give   
in but another part still holding on, still wanting to fight. "I serve no one."  
  
Reignfire's eyes sparkled. "Little one, are you such a fool that you think I do not   
have you utterly? Your friends and family have abandoned you, Chibi-Usa."  
  
"NO!" Chibi-Usa cried, her voice rising, her eyes meeting his. "They wouldn't do that!   
They ...they wouldn't!"  
  
Beside her, Siren smiled and shook her head slightly. "Oh, wouldn't they?"  
  
Reignfire's eyes met Chibi-Usa's, a flood of images rushing into her mind. Death,   
carnage, rampant destruction in the streets of Crystal Tokyo. His voice rang in her   
mind. 'They're too busy trying to save their fool's paradise to care about you,   
little one. They've abandoned you.'  
  
"Gods!" Chibi-Usa gasped, her knees shaking as the images flashed across her mind,   
as she watched the city that was her home crumbling. "But my mother wouldn't   
abandon me! She wouldn't give up, she never gives up...." she sobbed.  
  
"Your mother? The Queen?" Siren laughed. "She's the one that allowed you to be   
taken; she's the one allowing her city to fall to ruin." Siren's eyes flashed   
and suddenly Chibi-Usa saw her mother, kneeling on the ground, holding the bloody   
body of a child in her lap. "Does that look like someone who will be able to save   
you?"  
  
"No!" Chibi-Usa's voice trailed off, tears falling freely down her face as she felt   
something inside her breaking, cracking like a breached dam beneath a wall of water.  
  
Reignfire's eyes burned into hers relentlessly. "You are mine, servant. Now and forever."  
  
"I'm ... not." Chibi-Usa's words were barely more than a whisper, her breathing   
growing labored as her mind twisted, trying desperately to hold onto her hope.  
  
'We will not abandon you, little one. Ever.' Siren's voice was soothing in her   
mind, and Chibi-Usa felt a familiar flood of warmth wrap around her body.  
  
Reignfire's mind surrounded her at the same time, a nearly crushing force battering   
at her defenses. 'You are alone. Serve me, and we will support you.'  
  
Alone. That word echoed over and over in Chibi-Usa's mind. 'I can't be alone. I   
can't...I'm not strong enough.' she sobbed as her body began to shake.   
  
'You can't survive on your own, small one. We'll protect you.' Siren's voice once   
again broke through the tumult of her thoughts, an almost calming force promising   
sanctuary, so much truth behind her words.  
  
"I can't...." she repeated aloud, tears falling silently to the floor.  
  
Reignfire spoke again, voice gentle as a spider's kiss. "Kneel, servant."  
  
'No!' Chibi-Usa heard a small voice insider her screaming, wanting her to refuse,   
wanting her to fight it, but it was too small and she was too weak. All resistance   
would gain her was more pain, more punishment, and for what? Nothing. There was   
nothing left to fight for, nothing left to hope for, and her heart knew it. Her   
soul knew it, and she felt a small piece of it die as she sank to her knees   
at Reignfire's feet.  
  
Reignfire's mind pulsed into hers as she knelt, smashing weakened defenses and   
burning itself deep into her. When he spoke again, his voice resonated both inside   
and outside her mind. "Rise, servant."  
  
Had anyone been in the Princess's bedchambers, they would have seen what looked   
like a lightning storm centered around the silver brooch on her bed. As Reignfire's   
mind burrowed into hers and he took root within her being, the silver crystal, the   
unbreakable stone, the symbol of Sailor Moon's power, of the Princess's life, cracked   
down the center; the two halves clattered out of their place. As the broken crystal   
rolled lifelessly on the bed, the fragments turned black and crumbled, turning into   
little more than blackened ash.  
  
As the crystal shattered, within the mind of the Princess the eternal light she held   
within her heart slowly went out. The little girl that had been, that had loved life,   
which had so much joy collapsed into the recesses of her mind, locked away forever   
behind an impenetrable wall. Slowly, the former Sailor Moon rose to her feet. When   
her eyes rose to meet those of her master, they no longer held the same sparkle; they   
were dark and empty, a mirror of the abyss around them.  
  
"My lord," The voice that came from Chibi-Usa's lips was low, no longer musical or   
light. She spoke with utmost respect, bowing her head to gaze at the floor once more.  
  
Reignfire's voice rolled out over the room, echoing in her mind like crackling   
thunder. "Are you ready, my servant?" There was a crackle of energy as a man   
appeared in the room, pulled by the massive claws of Veros and the slimmer hands   
of Dameon.  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded silently, her eyes drifting toward the prisoner as a glimmer of   
anticipation rose within the red depths. Slowly she stepped toward him, his gaze   
meeting hers, and in his terrified brown eyes she saw a flicker of hope as he   
realized who she was.  
  
With a silent command from Reignfire, Veros released the man and shoved him roughly   
forward. The prisoner stumbled a moment, nearly falling to his knees, but he held   
himself up as he kept his eyes fixed on Chibi-Usa's. A hesitant smile played on his   
lips as she moved closer, only to falter moments later when he saw the cold look in   
her gaze. "Take him," Reignfire instructed.  
  
Chibi-Usa looked at him confused, then she watched the man's face twist in a grimace   
of pain as Reignfire's mind took hold of his nervous system. The man's knees finally   
buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor at Chibi-Usa's feet. His screams echoed   
through the chamber, but instead of terrifying her they invigorated her; she watched   
with utter fascination as the man writhed beneath Reignfire's unseen touch. Chibi-Usa   
felt a surge of power within her, and at once she knew what he wanted of her.  
  
"Now it's your turn, servant." Reignfire instructed, handing over the control of the   
man's mind to her. Chibi-Usa felt a rush pass through her like she'd never experienced   
as she felt the man's life in her hands, and a smile twisted her lips as she felt the   
utter control she had over him. Just by using the power of her mind she could make him   
scream louder and higher, or she could bring him down to where he thought it might be   
over.  
  
'I love this.' she thought to herself, red eyes gleaming like fire.  
  
Reignfire smiled in her mind, gently laying his hand on her shoulder. 'Let me show you   
something.' He reached out and twisted a set of nerves in the man's side, sending spasms   
of pain through his chest so violent that his muscles began to tear his organs apart   
from the inside out. 'You see?'  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded silently, her smile growing larger. 'Like this?' She tentatively   
reached out and copied Reignfire's motions, a shiver of pleasure rushing through her   
as she saw the man spasm in reaction. "I want to learn more, Lord," she said aloud,   
her mind screaming for further instruction.  
  
Reignfire's mind caressed hers, showing her ways to twist and bend and manipulate the   
mind in her control. Screams of pain erupted as the man's body began to tear itself   
apart from the inside out, one agonizing breath at a time.  
  
Siren watched the two closely, the smile faltering on her lips as she watched Reignfire   
instruct their new pupil. The gleam in her eyes darkened for a moment before she   
pushed the feelings down. 'No use getting upset yet. She's still young, naive; he   
needs to lead her.'  
  
Chibi-Usa laughed as she watched the man before her writhe in agony, his body   
destroying itself from within at her command. She watched and she drew great   
pleasure from it, but something inside told her there was more that she could   
gain. "I want..." Chibi-Usa began, her face growing serious for a moment as she   
realized she didn't know what it was; all she had was a flash of an ebony wand,   
nothing more.  
  
Reignfire smiled. 'I know what you want.' Reaching into her mind, he sent a flash   
of instruction and a complex gesture. 'Now take it.'  
  
Chibi-Usa's eyes lit up and her lips parted with desire as she followed Reignfire's   
instructions, concentrating on her goal. 'I want it,' she thought, her body tensing   
with need. There was a brief moment when she thought it wouldn't work, when the man's   
screams suddenly ceased, the room echoing with silence. Then she felt it, the warmth   
surrounding her, filling her.  
  
"Gods, yes..." Chibi-Usa whispered, a gentle shiver passing through her body as she   
once again revisited the ecstasy of the dungeon so many days ago.  
  
Reignfire's eyes glowed as he stepped past her and glanced at the broken corpse of   
the man. "Our guest's plaything seems to have broken. See that she gets another,   
Veros."  
  
The crimson-skinned creature bowed, flashing a needle-toothed smile. "Of course,   
my master."  
  
Chibi-Usa braced herself for the weakness that she thought would follow, but none   
came. Instead she felt more alive than she'd ever felt in her entire existence.   
"Thank you, my Lord." She turned to Reignfire, eyes gleaming. "That was a pleasure   
indeed; I can't wait until the next lesson."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Special thanks goes out to all those that have made this possible, including  
Soul for doing the first round of edits and helping with our sometimes horrendous  
spelling and typing skills, and Liz for doing the final round, making sure everything  
fits and correcting the little mistakes we'd never pick up.  
  
Additional thanks to my wonderful beta readers - Lena and Mako the 38th. Your   
questions and feedback helped me make this even better. And of course, thanks  
to all the readers that have writen and commented on Fallen Stars. You're part  
of the reason we do this. ^.~  
  
Fallen Stars has been a year in the making, hopefully it lives up to all expectations.  
Feel free to contact us with any praise, comments, moans, groans or suggestions.   
Feedback is a good thing. ^_^  
  
Email: fallen_star715@yahoo.com  
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	7. Part Four - Chapter 1

------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko  
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.  
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and  
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Fallen Stars  
by  
Lady Archanna & Archmage  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Part 4  
Chapter 1  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The alarm system Ami and Alex had set up to alert the Senshi of any  
pending danger within the city had awoken the warriors before the sun   
had fully risen. Tired and frustrated four of the warriors had elected   
to go, seeing as how it seemed to be a small disturbance. Now, barely   
an hour later, they were beginning to wonder at the intelligence of   
their decision.  
  
Nathan hit the ground with a curse, rolling to his feet and bringing   
his spear up into the chest of an oncoming hell hound. "How's everyone   
doing?"   
  
"Alive." Rod brought his hammer around in a crushing shot, spatter the   
remains of another of the insectoid monstrosities against the opposite   
wall in a shower of black gore.  
  
"These things are just ..." Venus's complaint was turned into a gasp as   
she leapt into the air, just barely missing the razor-sharp claw that   
impaled itself in the ground where she'd been standing.  
  
The creature didn't have time to follow the golden senshi's movements;   
a sparkling ball of lightning smashing into its midsection, scattering   
its charred remains across the deserted street. "Disgusting?" Jupiter   
said, finishing her friend's statement as she moved up beside the blonde   
where she'd landed.  
  
"That's one way of putting it," Venus grimaced as she pulled a piece of   
the creature's armor-like skin out of her hair. "What ARE they?"  
  
Jupiter shook her head, turning toward the end of the street. "I have   
no idea, but there sure are a hell of a lot of them." Turning her eyes   
toward Rod who'd just managed to finish off another of the seemingly   
endless army. "We can't keep fighting like this ..."  
  
Rod grimaced and nodded, sending a series of chain lightning into the   
leading rank. "Suggestions, heart?"  
  
Jupiter's eyes narrowed, watching as Venus sent a beam of golden   
energy into the mass of on-coming beasts. It seemed that for every   
one they destroyed, five more rose to take its place. She was about   
to say something when suddenly she heard distinct cry of their enemy,   
just second before its clawed feet slammed into the ground behind her.   
At that moment everything seemed to happen in slow motion, Jupiter's   
ears picking up Venus' attack phrase at the same time that she fell to   
the ground, rolling out of the way as the crescent chain hit home.  
  
"Jupiter ... some help?" Venus grunted as the creature pulled at the  
golden restraints that wrapped themselves magically around it.  
  
The brown-haired Senshi was on her feet in seconds, a bolt of electricity   
ripping the creature in two. As her eyes left the charred mass, Jupiter   
realized with horror that the area around them was quickly filling with   
the beasts.  
  
Venus noticed the same thing, and blue eyes traveled skyward. "We have   
to get above them," Venus said gaze dropping and meeting Jupiters. "And   
around them ... so they're closed in."  
  
Nathan grimaced, a wave of fire reducing a flank of the enemy to ashes.   
"There's an access shaft to an elevator tube 20 meters to our right."  
  
"Let's do it." The air around them seemed to condense, a thick fog   
cloaking their movement as Rod brought his weather-control powers   
into play.  
  
Venus was already on her way, mind working on the best way to deal   
with the horde she could hear closing in around them. Jupiter was   
only a few steps behind her, flashes of electricity illuminating the   
fog as they moved through the shattered doors of what had at one time   
been an office building.  
  
Venus paused for a moment before the closed doors of the elevator,   
momentarily at a loss as to what to do. "Move out of the way," Jupiter   
said quickly, launching a small blast at the metal doors, blowing them   
open.  
  
"We could just transport up there," Venus pointed out as the brunette   
moved into the body of the elevator.  
  
"True, but we want to give them time to get here," Jupiter replied,   
turning to the blonde. "Besides, this is just as easy .. Rod, can you   
give me a hand?" Jupiter called past Venus to her husband, pointing at   
the emergency hatch in the roof of the car.  
  
Rod slipped a hand under his wife's foot, almost effortlessly boosting   
her up to the emergency exit. "Nathan?"   
  
Heat bloomed behind them, and then Dragon hit the car at a run as the   
sound of a wall collapsing behind him filled the air. "That'll hold them   
for a few more seconds. Let's move."  
  
Venus followed Jupiter quickly onto the roof of the car, eyes narrowing   
as she eyed the top of the shaft. Then, with a flash of light she launched   
her crescent chain upwards, securing it around the beam going across the   
top of the shaft."Meet you up top?"  
  
Jupiter nodded, using the metal chord that held the elevator as a rope   
to climb to the top. She saw and heard the explosion as Venus made short   
work of the door leading to the roof, and within moments they were all   
standing, looking down at the plaza.  
  
"What now?" She asked, turning to Venus as they waited for the others   
to join them.  
  
Rod hit the roof running, Nathan on his heels. "Spread out, cover the   
corners. They'll be coming up after us any minute."  
  
As if on an unspoken cue, the sound of claws skittering on shaft walls   
echoed up from below. Nathan's eye hardened. "Now."  
  
Jupiter turned from her position atop a utility room just in time to   
see the creatures beginning to emerge from the elevator shaft. Crouching   
down low, she looked toward Venus, waiting for the signal to attack.  
  
Venus moved behind the concrete pillar, looking down at the roof; her   
heart pounding as she watched the area below her fill with the creatures.   
'There are so many...'  
  
Nathan's lips pulled back in a disbelieving frown. 'How many of these damn   
things can there be?' Glancing across the roof, he caught Rod's eyes and   
sighed. 'Hope we can handles this one, Thunderer. Really, really hope so.'  
  
Venus glanced over at Jupiter, seeing the concern sparking in the other   
warrior's green eyes. Biting her lip she felt her heart stop as one of   
the creatures moved just below her. Holding her breath she held off the   
attack that screamed to be released. This was not the time to act out of  
fear.  
  
Jupiter found herself amazed by the hard look she saw on her friend's face,   
the determination set on her normally relaxed face. Even as the ground   
beneath them began to vibrate and shake the blonde-haired senshi stood   
her ground. Emerald eyes moved carefully back toward the shaft, noticing   
that the flow of demons wasn't as constant as before.   
  
'Rod, get the shaft,' Jupiter said into her lover's mind when she saw Venus   
give the signal to attack.  
  
Lightning erupted from the hammer in Rod's hand, shattering the shaft into   
charred rubble as his friend stepped around the column shielding him and sent   
a scythe of fire tearing into the massed creatures and incinerating a dozen in   
seconds. As soon as their main route of escape was destroyed, Venus launched a   
sweeping spray of golden energy across the roof from atop her perch. Jupiter   
didn't have time to admire her friend's accuracy, she was too busy defending   
her own position; a stream of silvery electricity blasting through the mob.   
  
Nathan's spear smashed its way through enemy after enemy, working steadily   
across the edge of the boiling mass of creatures. On his right, Rod's burst   
of wind knocked hell hounds tumbling the thirty stories to the ground as   
chain-lightning exploding among the creatures attacking Jupiter. Venus's head   
snapped around as she heard Jupiter's cry of surprise and pain rise over the   
commotion. She watched in horror as the green-clad Senshi was knocked from   
her position down to the rooftop, amongst the creatures.  
  
"Jupiter!" She cried, leaping off the pillar and landing soundly just behind   
her friend. Using her Crescent Beam, Venus cleared an area around the two,   
keeping the monsters at bay as Jupiter got to her feet.   
  
Standing back to back with the blonde, Jupiter eyed the slobbering beasts   
that surged around them. "What do you say we show them what we can really   
do?" Jupiter asked, wincing as she put her full weight on an injured ankle.  
  
Venus nodded quickly, powering up yet another blast as she shifted her   
position so that she was standing beside Jupiter. A split second later,   
an intertwined beam of electricity and golden energy began sweeping in a   
broad arc across the roof, vaporizing all the creatures in its path.   
Jupiter winced as she moved with Venus, bringing the attack around to   
complete the circle. They'd destroyed quite a few, but they were still   
surrounded. 'Some help ...' She called into Rod's mind, knowing that the   
two Senshi were outmatched.  
  
One of the creatures snapped at her, fangs and claws tearing into the air   
above her guts before the thing exploded in a shower of black gore; a emerald   
and black blur stepped into the breech opening in the circle of hell hounds with   
war-hammer singing deadly power as it battered clawed hands aside with crackling   
sparks of electricity. "Dragon!"  
  
Black gore spattered wide as red and gold armor spun and sparkled with deadly   
precision. "On the way, Thunderer."  
  
Venus grunted as she felt something slam into her side, nearly throwing her to   
the ground. Turning and looking, blue eyes hardened by necessity, she didn't   
even hesitate to send a blast of energy directly into the mid-section of the   
monster hovering above her. Turning her head back toward where Jupiter, Rod   
and Nathan stood, Venus felt a weight rise from her shoulders as she realized   
their enemy's numbers had been cut nearly in half.  
  
'We're winning!' She thought triumphantly to herself, suddenly feeling a   
renewed sense of determination wash over her as she continued to battle   
those that were left. Realizing that having all four warriors in such close   
proximity might only make things easier for the thinning ranks of hell-beasts,   
Venus leapt into the air, soaring over the heads of the monsters.  
  
"What-?" Jupiter gasped, not having time to call out a question before yet   
another hound decided to try and use her for target practice. Grunting loudly,   
Jupiter managed to knock the creature back with a hard kick to the head.   
Unfortunately in an effort to avoid the flailing claws, she too lost her   
footing and was once again down on the ground.  
  
Rod side-stepped out of the path of one of the creatures, gutting it with the   
spike of his hammer as he straddled Makoto's fallen body and laid about him with   
desperate fury. Electricity crackled out from the hammer in all directions,   
sending creatures twitching to the ground in their death throws, and from   
behind him the sound of dying creatures redoubled as Nathan tore into the   
creatures behind them with fire and his spear. "Watch yourself, Thunderer!"   
  
Landing precariously atop the stone platform of one of many radio towers   
fixed upon the roof of the building, Venus had only a moment to orient   
herself before she was forced into action. She watched in horror for a   
split second as two of the creatures bore down on Rod; Jupiter trying to   
get to her feet while avoiding slashing claws that ripped through the air   
around her. Then blue eyes caught sight of a creature, larger than most of   
them, barreling toward the two already occupied warriors. Without thinking,   
Venus let out a cry and once again took to the air, launching her Lovely   
Chain at the beast; as she landed atop a pile of rubble near the center   
of the roof, she felt the chain pull taunt as it secured itself around   
the monster's neck.  
  
Her arms screamed in protest as the creature pulled against its restraints,   
trying to pull the blonde-haired Senshi toward it. Venus stood her ground,   
using a slab of concrete to brace herself as she tightened her grip on the   
chain. Although her hands cried in protest as the rope dug into her palms,   
Venus stood firm, determined to finish the beast off.  
  
"You're ... Not ... Getting ... Away!" She cried out, willing the chain to   
tighten further, and with one final burst of strength Venus pulled with all   
her might, cleanly separating the monster's head from its body. The chain   
immediately disappeared, and the blonde suddenly found herself on her backside,   
the jagged pieces of concrete and metal digging into her skin. As she got to   
her feet, her attention was immediately drawn back to her friends.  
  
Jupiter was on her feet once again, lightning crackling fiercely around the   
brunette as she blasted creature after creature with her attacks. After a   
moment, she stopped, emerald eyes widening in shock as she realized that   
only a few of the beasts remained standing.   
  
Nathan fixed another of the creatures with his spear, tracking his eyes   
across the roof. Not too many more left now, but he needed to watch out   
for any that were still.... "Minako, behind you!"  
  
Nathan's warning reached Minako's ears just as she felt the pile of rubble   
beneath her begin to shudder. She let out a surprised cry as a clawed hand   
shot up just under her feet, slashing at the air. Reacting on instinct, she   
tried to jump out of the way, but her timing was off. Just as her feet left   
the concrete pile beneath her, it erupted in a spray of debris, slamming into   
her as the creature emerged from the shaft below.  
  
She should have been knocked out of the way, should have been thrown to the   
ground under a shower of metal and stone. She would have been, if the   
creature hadn't decided to latch onto her calf, digging razor sharp claws   
into bare flesh. Her scream of pain echoed across the rooftop, Jupiter already   
moving across the space that separate them.  
  
"Let her go!" She screamed, a ball of sparkling energy issuing from her hand   
and into he back of the beast that held her friend in its clutches. She didn't   
see her error until it was too late. The creature died in mid air, but its   
hold on Venus's leg did not release; and as its dead-weight fell back down   
the shaft from which it had come, it took the screaming Senshi with it.  
  
"NO!" Jupiter screamed, tears suddenly burning her eyes as she ran to the   
side of the crater, peering down in time to see a flurry of golden tresses   
as her fellow warrior plunged nearly twenty stories before landing atop the   
ungiving body of the elevator car below.  
  
Nathan bolted forward, communicator already in his hand. "Emergency medical,   
priority call authorized by Lord Mars! We have a Senshi down; I repeat, Lady   
Venus is down and needs emergency medical attention!"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
With a heavy sigh the blue-haired woman set down the bandages on the table   
beside the window, casting one final glance toward the other occupants of   
the room. It seemed as if she'd been treating injuries non-stop since all   
hell broke loose with Reignfire's arrival. She'd become somewhat numbed to   
the devastation their enemy was reeking, yet seeing one of her fellow   
warriors laying so helplessly in a hospital bed still twisted her insides.   
Looking at the intense expression on Sol's face where he sat unmoving beside   
his soulmate's bed, Ami wished she could do more to ease his suffering.  
  
Nathan reached out a hand and gently caught Ami's arm as she stepped out of   
the infirmary. "How are they?"  
  
"What?" Ami's eyes blinked as she turned to Nathan, exhaustion apparent in   
her blue gaze. When she spoke, she did so with the professional detachment   
she'd spent years practicing. "Minako's still unconscious. She suffered a   
broken leg, several broken ribs and a massive blow to the head when she   
landed..." Ami's voice cracked finally, her eyes falling away from Nathan's.   
  
"Any idea when she'll wake up?"  
  
Amy shook her head slowly. "Right now, it's a game of wait and see. I've   
had Hotaru up here, she helped as much as she could. The rest is up to her."  
  
Nathan looked over her shoulder into the room, taking in the white-wrapped   
form on the infirmary bed and the slumped shoulders of the gold-clad man who   
sat beside it. "How's he taking it?"  
  
Amy looked up at Nathan helplessly. "How would you be if that was Rei laying   
there?" She asked quietly.  
  
Nathan grimaced, nodded. "Yeah." Taking a final look into the room, he turned   
back to Ami and smiled wearily. "I'm going to go see how Rei's doing, come to   
think of it. Thank you, Ami. For everything."  
  
"I just wish everything didn't seem like so little ...." Amy said, a sad smile   
on her lips as she took one last look into the cubicle where Minako lay.  
  
Inside the infirmary, tear-blurred blue eyes focused on Minako's still face   
and an elegant hand brushed her face with shaking fingers. "Come back to me,   
my love. I need you. Please don't leave me. Please."  
  
Normally pink lips parted slightly, a pale hand moving slowly upward, blindly   
searching out the hand of her lover. 'Never...' The words nothing more than a   
faint whisper in Sol's mind.  
  
Shaking, he took her hand in his and spoke in a broken whisper. "You're awake.   
Thank the gods, you're awake!" His arms were around her without a thought,   
cradling her head against his chest. "My radiant angel... gods, I was afraid   
I'd lost you, love."  
  
Blue eyes fluttered open, the familiar warmth and scent of her husband   
surrounding her in a blanket of safety. "Never...." She rasped, a muffled   
cry escaping her lips as her sore body protested her lover's embrace.  
  
Instantly gentling his touch, Sol's eyes looked down in his soulmate's   
with desperate apology. 'I should have been there... shouldn't have let   
this happen to you... gods, Minako, I'm so sorry.'  
  
Minako shook her head, reaching up and gently touching Sol's face. 'No   
apologies, my love. I am a warrior just as you are. You can't fight all   
my battles for me.' She said quietly into his mind, her brow creasing as   
a jolt of pain ran up her leg. "Just be here now," she said, her throat   
dry and burning. "That's all I ask."  
  
His lips dropped instantly to hers, pressing a gentle kiss onto dry lips.   
'Of course, my love.'  
  
Minako's eyes closed, returning the kiss as she fought off the sleep that   
threatened to pull her once again into its dark embrace. She felt tears   
rise in her eyes as her mind recalled the battle, the last moments nothing   
more than a blur of claws, pain and fear. Instinctively her arms tightened   
around Sol's neck, pulling herself closer as she tried to push back the   
images. 'Gods...'  
  
Automatically his hands went to her shoulders, his energy and love pulsing   
into her to lend her strength. 'I'm here, love. I'm here. It's all right,   
I'm right here...'  
  
Breaking away from the kiss, Minako buried her head against Sol's chest.   
"There were so many of them ... And ..." She looked up at him, lips trembling.   
When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper. "And I was scared ...."  
  
His fingertips brushed her lips, haggard features suddenly settling into a   
comforting smile. "I know.... it's all right. You don't have to be brave all   
the time, my love. Not when I'm here, you don't."  
  
Suddenly she felt like a small child in his arms, and for a moment wished she   
could just stay there and hide from the monsters she knew awaited her just   
outside the palace walls. That jolted her back to reality, causing her tears   
to stop falling, her eyes becoming uncharacteristically serious. "I can't be   
scared. We can't afford it." She said quietly, pulling away from him, away   
from the sanctuary he offered.  
  
Sol's eyes tightened slightly, recognizing the passing of the moment and   
knowing that Reignfire had taken yet another gift from him. "I suppose not."  
  
As memories of the demons they'd already faced surfaced, Minako shivered   
slightly, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. Not since she'd faced   
Metallia had Minako felt so utterly terrified of an enemy. She looked up at   
her husband once more, eyes meeting his. "Just ..." Minako took a breath,   
biting her lip. "Just promise me one thing..."  
  
Sol's eyes locked on hers, lips gently lowering to brush hers. "Anything."  
  
Minako took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she reopened   
them, they met Sol's once more, shimmering with silent pleading. "Please don't   
let me do it alone," she whispered. "Because I don't know if I can. I can't take   
shelter from the things that are terrifying me ... But I also know I can't be   
brave on my own. Not against this."  
  
"I won't leave you, Mina-chan. Not for anything." Gentle arms held her close,   
golden hair mingling with gold as he gently gathered her tightly against him .   
"I will be right here when you need me."  
  
Tilting her head back, Minako's lips reached up to meet his, lingering there   
as she let his warmth surround her. "Thank you ..." She whispered, her lips   
falling slowly away from his as she settled herself in his embrace. She could   
feel her body demanding more rest, but the fear of what awaited her when she   
closed her eyes forced her to fight the sleep that tried to claim her.  
  
Sol's hands stroked her hair, guiding her head to rest on his chest as his   
arms surrounded her. "Rest, my love. You're safe here; I'll watch over you   
as long as you sleep."  
  
Minako felt her body relaxing, her limbs growing heavy as Sol's calming   
influence silenced the fears that had kept her from sleep. Her hands   
moved upward, fingers intertwining with her lover's. "Just stay until   
I fall asleep ..." She whispered, her words already heavy with sleep,   
eyes closing slowly.  
  
Gentle hands caressed her face as her soulmate surrounded her in his   
love. "Always."  
  
Sol's eyes were the last thing Minako saw before she finally surrendered   
herself to the peaceful darkness. She knew that when she awakened in a   
few hours her body would be healed and ready to fight once more. 'I just   
don't want to...' She said quietly to herself as she finally slipped into   
a mercifully dreamless sleep.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
When Nathan finally found his wife she sat alone in her private shrine, a  
great fire blazing before her. He stood in the doorway for a few moments,  
simply watching her, his mind going back to Ami's question outside  
the infirmary. What if it was Rei laying there helplessly? What if something  
were to happen to her.  
  
Shaking his head he ventured into the room; that was something he didn't   
want to let his mind consider at the moment. "Any luck?" He asked quietly,  
knowing Rei had been spending hours in mediation, trying to find something   
that would help them find the enemy, and more importantly the Princess.  
  
Rei shook her head, opening her eyes and looking up at her husband. "Not  
yet ... but I'm going to try something else."  
  
Nathan walked over to where she knelt on the floor, placing his hands on  
her slim shoulders and gently working at the tired muscles. "How long have  
you been trying?"  
  
Rei sighed, hearing the concern in his voice. "Well, I haven't found  
anything ... So obviously not long enough." She replied, a slight edge  
to her tone.  
  
Nathan's hand paused as he looked down at his wife, wanting to say something  
more but knowing it was useless. Once she had her mind set on something, she   
wouldn't stop until she reached her goal. Leaning down he kissed her lightly   
on the top of the head. "You'll find something."  
  
"I hope so," she said as his hands left her shoulders. Turning, she saw   
him moving toward the doorway. Turning back to the fire, Rei closed her   
eyes.  
  
Nathan pushed open the door, then paused look back at her. "I'm going to   
check in with Makoto on the guards, and then I'll be back. Hope the fire   
doesn't die on you." The door clicked softly, leaving Rei alone with her   
thoughts.   
  
Deep violet eyes opened slowly as the door closed, focusing on the   
fire before them. The flames leapt high into the air, the intense   
heat an almost soothing sensation; familiar and safe. As she peered   
deeply into the flames, Rei felt her breathing fall into a natural   
rhythm as she prepared herself for a fire reading. Since the princess   
had been taken, she'd spent countless hours before the fires, trying   
to get some sense of where their Princess was, whether or not she was   
still alive. As of yet, she'd found nothing, and because of this, she   
hadn't told anyone of her efforts. It was better that she kept quiet   
until she found something that would give them an answer, whether   
negative or positive. Rei's hands rose before her and her eyes closed   
as she began to chant, calling upon the spirits to guide her in her   
search. 'Please, let me find something!' she pleaded silently.   
  
At first, she feared that once again she would come up against the wall   
of resistance she'd encountered every other time, but something was   
different. The wall was gone, and Rei felt herself slipping easily into   
the vision. An obsidian cavern rose around her, shimmering with mist and   
shadows. A single figure stood in the heart of the maelstrom, razor edged   
staff ready in her hand.   
  
As the vision became clearer, the figure seemed to shimmer in the murky   
light, silver armor shimmering as menacingly as the blade atop the staff.   
As the figure shifted slightly, it became clear it was a woman, the silver   
and black armor fitted perfectly to her slim form. Although the armor   
appeared to be ungiving, sharp points jutting out threateningly, the woman   
had no trouble moving in it, as if it were a second skin. There was no doubt   
she would be well protected; even her head was encased in a protective helmet   
of shimmering black. Something moved in the darkness beside her, and suddenly   
a creature erupted from the mist and lunged at her, clawed hands flailing   
wildly. It had been human, once; its distorted features still had the   
distinctive sheen of a native of Crystal Tokyo. That was before someone   
had grafted claws and fangs onto the man, and twisted his bone structure   
in ways nature had never intended. With a howl of primal rage, it hurled   
itself at the woman.   
  
With a quick motion, the woman stepped back, bringing the blade of her   
staff around in a deadly arch. The creature, unable to react, continued   
its forward motion, right over her blade. There was a sickening thud as   
creature landed in two bloody heaps on the ground. Something inhuman   
howled, and another thing exploded from the ground beneath her to lash   
out with tentacles grafted to the obscene hole of what had been a   
child's torso and head. Tiny eyes sparkled with malevolence as massive   
tentacles began to tighten around the woman.   
  
The air suddenly crackled to life, black flames surrounding the woman,   
scorching and incinerating the offending appendages. With a low grunt,   
the woman pushed the writhing creature away from her, watching as it   
was totally engulfed by the fire, its screams of agony ringing off the   
walls of the cavern. A shambling hulk rose behind her, massive hands   
grabbing hold of her shoulders and throwing her to the ground. The   
monster, a conglomerate of human parts melded together into an obscene   
parody of a man, moaned something unintelligible as it raised its hand   
to strike. The sound of the woman's staff clattering to the ground   
echoed through the cavern. As the creature's hand descended, she lay   
still, unflinching. Instead, she waited until the last moment, and   
then, with her free hand, she reached up, stopping the monster in   
mid-stroke.   
  
"No." The simple word echoed with unspoken power, and for a moment   
it seemed all had stopped. For a brief second the two remained frozen,   
then there was a sickening tearing sound, followed by a screech of   
pain as the monster's arm was flung away, its other hand clutching   
uselessly at the bloody stump.   
  
Taking the advantage, the woman drew her legs back, shoving her feet   
mercilessly into what would have been the monstrosity's torso, sending   
him reeling backwards. Then, slowly she stood, shaking her head slowly   
from side to side as she approached her fallen adversary. There was a   
flash of light, and her staff was once again seated in her gloved hand,   
the silver blade glinting above her head. Then, in a swift motion, it   
came down, separating the creature's head from its thrashing limbs and   
instantly silencing its deafening cries.   
  
Space shimmered beside the girl, a shadow stepping from the mists to   
set a dark hand on her shoulder. "Good work, my servant."   
  
"Thank you, my lord." The woman's voice rose, her eyes still focused   
on the still shuddering form of her opponent, not turning away until   
it had stopped. "I'm glad you're pleased with my progress."   
  
The dark laugh rippled over the room, red eyes gleaming. "Very much   
so. I think you've done enough for today."   
  
"I suppose ...." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice when   
she spoke, twirling the staff in her hands. "Does that mean I get to   
practice with some real targets soon?"   
  
The red eyes sparked. "We'll see servant. We will see."   
  
The woman stepped closer to him, resting a gloved hand on his cloaked   
arm. "I know you have my best interests in mind." Her tone was one of   
respect as well as adoration as she stood in front of the taller man.   
"I'll trust you to decide when I'm ready."   
  
Black gloved hands slipped around the slim waist, casually sliding   
past the protruding spikes to settle on her hips. "The question is   
more properly if they're ready for you."   
  
An almost childish laughter rose from beneath the helmet, the woman's   
hands moving up to grasp it. "Indeed." she said, sliding black covering   
up and off, allowing a cascade of pink hair to flow down around her as   
she moved still closer and her form becoming lost in the folds of his   
cloak.   
  
Red eyes rose abruptly, focusing fully on Rei's for the first time. The   
voice that spoke in her mind was aflame with dark fires. "Those who pry   
too much into the business of others can often get burned." Rei's eyes   
went wide, her mouth opening in gasp of surprise and sudden fear as she   
felt this stranger's presence in her mind. Red eyes seemed to expand to   
fill her vision, and then the light and pain flashed in her mind like the   
hand of God turned into a slap. Rei's mouth opened in an agonized scream,   
the world before her exploding into a burst of brightly colored stars, her   
head feeling like it was about to explode. When next she opened her eyes,   
she found herself laying on the other side of the private shrine, her back   
and head aching from where they had slammed into the wall. "What the   
hell....?" she mumbled, her mind still burning from the attack.   
  
The door slammed open a handful of moments later, Nathan rolling through   
it with spear and armor sparkling as he scanned the room. He was at Rei's   
side a moment later. "Love, what happened?"   
  
"I ... I ...." Rei's hand went to her head, trying desperately to calm the   
storm raging within her mind. "I was trying to find-"   
  
"Rei? Nate? What happened?" Makoto's frantic voice cut her off before she   
could continue. Emerald eyes fell on Rei laying in Nate's arms and immediately   
were filled with concern. "Is she okay?" The brunette asked Nate as she knelt   
down beside them.   
  
Nathan lifted his soulmate in his arms, gently probing her mind as he lent her   
his strength. "I don't know. It feels like someone hit her."   
  
"Hit me?" Rei muttered, her arms moving around Nathan's neck as her eyes closed,   
fighting back the wave of nausea that swept over her as she was lifted. "More   
like slammed into me with a sledgehammer..."   
  
Makoto looked at the raven-haired woman questioningly. "What do you mean? Was   
someone in here?" she asked, her eyes quickly scanning the room and falling   
upon the large fire in the center of it.   
  
"No, I was doing a fire reading...." Rei's voice trailed off as the images   
replayed in her mind, her arms tightening around Nathan.   
  
Holding his wife close, Nathan sensed the flow of memory in his wife's   
mind. "What happened?"   
  
"I-" Rei looked over at Makoto, green eye focused intently on her,   
awaiting an answer. "I was trying to see if I could get any readings   
on our enemy, some sense of what they're up to," she began, telling only   
half truths. "And, well, I found him. Reignfire to be more exact, and he   
found me ..." Rei shuddered at the memory.   
  
Nathan's lips tightened, sensing she was holding back but unwilling to   
force her to speak. "He blasted you." It wasn't a question.   
  
"He what?" Makoto gasped, her eyes moving from Nathan to Rei.   
  
"Yes," Rei whispered. "It was my own fault, I shouldn't have stayed so   
long. I should have been more careful."   
  
"Rei, why'd you take such a big risk?" Makoto asked, shaking her head.   
"We know this guy is strong; why would you try and find him on your own?"   
Makoto shook her head. It wasn't like the fire senshi to take chances like   
this.   
  
"I wasn't planning on finding him." Rei muttered, resting her head against   
Nathan's shoulder.   
  
"Then who were you looking for?" Makoto pressed, seeing the pain in the other   
woman's face.   
  
Nathan whispered softly, looking down into Rei's eyes. "You were looking for   
the Princess." Rei nodded mutely, hearing Makoto's sharp intake of breath and   
bracing herself for the question she knew was coming.   
  
"Did you find her?" Makoto breathed, the words echoing in Rei's mind.   
  
Without looking up, without opening her eyes, Rei shook her head. "No, I   
didn't. I didn't find the Princess."  
  
Nathan's mind touched hers, a question in his thoughts. 'Then what ...?'   
  
"But you were looking for her and you found Reignfire. Doesn't that mean   
she had to have been close?"   
  
"No!" Rei snapped, her eyes coming open, shimmering with tears. "What I   
found was not the Princess. End of story."   
  
Nathan nodded after a long moment, lifting her gently as he turned to the   
door. "C'mon. Serenity's calling us to the briefing room, emergency meeting."   
  
Rei silently watched as Makoto left the room, allowing Nathan to carry her.   
'What I found isn't the Princess, not anymore.' she thought sadly to herself,   
forcing back the tears. 'This is no time to be weak,' she scolded herself, her   
grip on Nathan tightening unconsciously.   
  
Nathan pressed her close to his chest, suddenly very aware of how small she   
seemed in his arms. 'I'm here for you, beloved.'   
  
Rei smiled up at him, not speaking, but simply allowing herself a moment of   
safety in his arms. She didn't say a word until they reached the meeting room,   
then she quietly asked Nathan to put her down, insisting she could stand. "I   
will not be carried in there like some invalid, my dear." she said, some of   
her familiar fire returning to her voice. "Besides, I'm feeling much better."   
  
Nathan smiled gently, not moving. "Falling over as you enter won't impress   
anyone, dear."   
  
Rei glared up at him. "I suppose there's no point in arguing this with you,   
is there?"   
  
Nathan's voice sparked, steel in his eyes. "Not a chance."   
  
Rei sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Then let's get in there already,   
standing out here in the hall isn't going to do us much good."   
  
The door swung open as they entered, and Mark glanced at toward them for a   
moment before turning his attention back to Serenity as he moved to the   
head of the table. Rei tried her best to ignore the eyes that fell on them   
as they moved toward their seats. With and audible sigh of relief she sat   
herself down, Nathan taking his place beside her, one of her hands still   
clasped in his.   
  
Mark walked up to the head of the table, leaning over the table to look   
down at the Royal couple. "We had another batch of walking wounded today   
from a small attack just south of Central Tokyo."   
  
Serenity shook her head, tired blue eyes fixed on table in front of her.   
"That makes it five within the past three days." Serenity's fingers dug   
into the arm of her chair, frustration showing on her face.   
  
Mark smiled grimly. "I'm about to add to your troubles." Reaching into   
his belt, he extracted three plastic cylinders filled with a white   
semi-fluid substance on the table. "Look familiar?"   
  
Serenity picked up one of the vials, lifting it carefully so she could   
more closely examine it. "I'm afraid not," she said quietly, putting it   
back on the table and turning her eyes to Mark. "What is it?"   
  
Endymion tapped the nearest cylinder, voice hard. "It's cocaine. They   
used to use it at my college. One of my friends burned out on it; his   
nervous system froze out and he died before he could reach a hospital."   
  
"Cocaine? Where the hell did you find that, Mark?" Haruka's voice rose,   
lacking some of its normal edge.   
  
"Two of the wounded that were carried in were pumped full of it; those   
were on their persons."   
  
"But how did they get it?" Serenity insisted, her head shaking.   
"Cocaine? That's something we haven't seen in over two millennia."   
  
Mark gave her a grim little smile. "I'll give you three guesses,   
and the first two don't count."   
  
The queen's eyes narrowed, not appreciating Mark's mocking tone.   
"So now the enemy's not only turning my city into a war zone, but   
is turning my citizens into drug addicts?" Serenity's voice rose   
slightly. "There must be something we can do, something we haven't   
tried to get ahead of them."   
  
"We find out dealer and shut him down. Permanently." Mark's voice   
was razor-cold as he passed a card across the table to her.   
  
Not taking her eyes off him, Serenity reached out and took the   
card in her hand. "What's this?" she asked, a cool edge to her voice.   
  
Mark's lips lifted in a quiet smile, voice taking on a note of quiet   
triumph. "A calling card."  
  
Serenity turned the card over, examining the name printed in neat,   
concise lettering on the other side. "Lucifer. Quite appropriate..."   
she muttered, her eyes rising once again to meet Mark's. "So, how do   
you propose we go about shutting him down?"   
  
Mark looked her squarely in the eye. "We find him, and if necessary   
we kill him." Pointing to the card, he smiled grimly. "And it says   
where we can find him right on the card."   
  
The Queen flinched at Mark's blunt answer, her eyes dropping once   
again to the small white card in her hand. Indeed, it told them   
exactly where they would be able to locate him. "This has to be   
some sort of trap." she said finally and shook her head, her eyes   
not rising from the card.   
  
Rod spoke up, voice harsh and angry. "I remember what college was   
like when that stuff was used on campus. Not here, not in my city.   
I'm in."   
  
"Rod you're not going-" Serenity began, but her words were abruptly   
cut off by Rei's voice.   
  
"Trap or not, we can't just sit here and let this monster continue to   
poison the city." Rei's tone was flat. "Unless you want to sit by and   
watch it die."   
  
Half the heads around the table snapped around, stunned by the harsh   
emptiness in Rei's voice. Endymion leaned forward slightly, looking   
into her eyes with concern. "Rei....?"   
  
"I'm sorry, but if we sit by and do nothing because we're worried it's   
a trap, then we might as well sit back and hand Reignfire Crystal Tokyo   
on a silver platter." Rei said, her voice low. "He's an even more powerful   
opponent than we first gave him credit for. Since the start it's seemed   
that he held all the cards, and his hand just keeps getting stronger and   
stronger. If we don't take every opportunity we can to try and weaken it,   
we've got no hope."   
  
Silence held across the table for a long handful of heartbeats, no one able   
to find words to speak. Finally Rod broke the silence. "I'm going to go   
check this out, now. Who's coming with me?"   
  
Mark nodded, moving to stand beside the Knight of Storms. "I'm with you,   
Thunderer."   
  
Makoto rose from the table, her tone almost apologetic as she spoke. "I'm   
coming as well." Gentle emerald eyes met Serenity's, trying to silently   
explain why she was willing to take such an obvious risk.   
  
Rod glanced at the other two, then turned to Serenity with a hesitant   
motion he covered by clearing his throat. "With your permission, majesty?"   
  
Serenity sat there in stunned silence, her eyes moving over each of the   
warriors standing before her. "You may go," she said, sliding the calling   
card across the table toward Rod. 'Just please take care of yourselves.'   
she added silently as they began to leave.   
  
Endymion squeezed her hand. 'They'll make it." Light flickered around the   
trio, and they were gone.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The street was dark, the lights having been knocked down or otherwise   
destroyed weeks ago. The once towering pristine building now lay in   
chaotic disarray, crumbling under the weight of twisted metal and   
glass. The wind wove its way through the wreckage, howling as it   
moved down an alley, swirling about the figures that stood hunched   
over a small fire.   
  
The firelight flickered dangerously low as the wind whipped about   
it, then it flared again as the air once again calmed. The faces   
of those crowded around it were pale, drawn and sickly looking.   
Thin hands shook where they held jackets closed or hovered above   
the warming flames.   
  
"C'mon, Bri, I know you've got some more," a young man with wild   
eyes said, turning toward a young woman crouching beside the fire.   
  
"Relax. You'll get your share," the woman said, her voice sounding   
off and her eyes concentrating on something in her hand. Orangish   
light flickered off the sharp point of a needle as she slipped it   
into the highly visible vein on her lower arm. The other youth   
watched with undisguised hunger as the girl pushed down on the   
plunger; they shifted uneasily, wanting it to be their turn.   
  
Shoes clicked softly on pavement as a man walked into the firelight,   
the flames flickering on gaunt cheeks and a thin smile. "Good evening,   
friends. Been looking for me, I hear?"   
  
"Lucifer!" The young man said, his voice filled with relief. "Damn   
right we've been looking for you!"   
  
"Jared, try a little self control," the girl with the needle managed,   
looking up at him with glassy brown eyes.   
  
"Easy for you to say, Bri; you've already had yours." Jared snapped   
back, moving toward the older man with a look that breathed utmost   
respect.   
  
"Yeah, we want ours!" The other youth, a boy of about twelve, demanded   
as he moved closer to the suited man on shaky legs.   
  
Firelight gleamed on silver buttons as the man slipped a cigarette   
from his coat and lit it, taking a long pull before responding.   
"Now, Andrew, you know the rules. You want it, you have to give me   
something for it."   
  
Andrew stopped, looking at the man with confusion for a moment until   
his drug-dulled mind registered the words. "Oh, you mean payment."   
The boy smiled crookedly, turning back to where he'd been standing   
and grabbing a tattered sack laying on the ground. With a look of   
pride he offered it to the man. "Those are the pictures you wanted,   
the one's of the guard detail around and inside the palace. I deserve   
something extra for those; I coulda gotten myself killed."   
  
Lucifer opened the satchel, scanning the pictures casually. "Of   
course you do." Reaching into his case, the man slid out three   
vials of white powder and then paused. "The payment." he smiled,   
slipping a small envelope of pills out as well before handing   
all of it to the boy. "And your bonus."   
  
The sandy-haired boy's eyes lit up as he took his prizes, holding   
them close to himself as he moved to the other side of the fire to   
enjoy his spoils. Jared watched with silent jealousy as the boy   
moved past him, then his once brilliant blue eyes rose to look at   
Lucifer.   
  
"I've held up my end of the deal, too." Jared began, but his words   
were abruptly cut off as a flash of light drew the group's attention.   
  
"I'm afraid this deal is going to have to be canceled." Sailor   
Jupiter said as she stepping forward, emerald eyes sizing up the   
group before her. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as   
she saw the looks of utter terror she received from the all save   
for the man in the suit.   
  
The older man smiled smoothly at her, sharp eyes raking her face   
as he languidly gestured with his cigarette. "Oh? You have   
something you'd like to buy from me, dear lady? An aphrodisiac,   
perhaps?"   
  
Rod growled, fingering his war-hammer as he stepped up beside his   
wife. "Watch your tongue, pal."   
  
"I've done nothing illegal, dear sir. I'm just a simple businessman."   
Smoke streamed into a slow spiral as the man exhaled another drag on   
his cigarette.   
  
Jupiter's eyes flashed with anger. "Simple businessman, my ass! What   
you and that monster called Reignfire are doing is unforgivable, and   
I will not allow you to continue hurting these innocents!" Jupiter   
stepped forward slightly, her gaze locked on Lucifer's, challenging   
him to argue.   
  
With an off-handed motion, the man tossed his cigarette into the fire   
and smiled at her with a shark's predatory gaze. "Indeed. I don't notice   
these particular innocents asking you to help them, ma'am."  
  
"Yeah!" Jared agreed, stepping up behind Lucifer, eyes burning into   
Makoto's. "Why don't you stick to the way you've been 'protecting'   
this city, and show up after it's too late?"   
  
Jupiter flinched, her eyes darting to the face of the young man.   
"We're doing-"   
  
"Barely enough to keep this hell hole of a city together!" Bri said,   
her words slurred as she stood on shaky legs. "You weren't there when   
my parents were ripped to shreds. You sure as hell weren't there when   
my sister was attacked and taken by an army of those beasts. So why   
the hell can't you just go away now? Now that we've found something   
that makes living here almost bearable; or is it your new duty as   
Senshi to make sure our lives are as miserable as possible?"   
  
Makoto took a step back, each word stinging like a physical blow.   
'Gods, is that really what we're doing?' She asked herself silently,   
her eyes moving from one set of glaring eyes to another. 'Is that   
truly what we've allowed to happen?'  
  
"These people are the ones we, as Senshi and Knights have dedicated   
our lives to protecting." Jupiter spat, glaring at the thin man,   
then turning her eyes back to the youths in front of her. "That   
Queen you speak so lowly of has sacrificed her life a thousand   
times over so you could have the chance at the lives you had   
here in Crystal Tokyo."   
  
Bri laughed bitterly, eyes burning into Makoto's. "Had is the   
operative word there, Jupi. What we had! Now we need to learn   
to survive with what we have, but it seems you don't want to let   
us do that. You'd rather just keep us quiet, and make us sit   
around and be killed until you people decide to get your act together   
and actually do something to fix this mess!"   
  
"I don't know about my friends." Andrew said, standing up, his eyes   
blank. "But I'd prefer it if you just left and let us continue with   
our business."  
  
The shadows around the fire suddenly expanded, seeming almost to move   
with a life of their own toward the three young men and women who stood   
near Lucifer. Mark's eyes blazed as he walked toward them, the shadows   
seeming to twist in reaction to his movements.   
  
"I'm afraid your friend isn't going to be doing any more business, so   
you can get out of my way or I can go through you." Shadows seemed to   
solidify to near tangibility around Bri, tugging at her hair and   
arms. "Get out, now."   
  
"Hey!" Bri screeched, struggling to free herself from the tentacles   
of shadow wrapping themselves around her limbs. "Let me go!"   
  
The sound of her cries cause Jared to turn his head toward her,   
his eyes widening in fear and anger. "Let her go!" His voice   
rose, turning a fiery gaze on Jupiter, launching himself at her,   
fists prepared to strike.   
  
"What the-!" Jupiter cursed, moving to the side just in time, throwing   
him to the side as he came at her. "Stay down," she breathed as he   
fell hard to the pavement, looking up at her with a hateful gaze.   
  
Rod lunged forward fast, catching the younger man with a blow just   
hard enough to put him out without inflicting serious injury. The   
air in the alley seemed to thicken, and static electricity crackled   
over every metal surface. Rod spun his hammer smoothly into guard   
position, advancing steadily on Lucifer. "All right, scum. Time to   
surrender."   
  
Makoto watched as Rod moved toward the man, but a sudden movement   
to the side caught her attention. "No!" she cried, turning to see   
Andrew heading toward Rod, a dangerously twisted piece of metal   
grasped in his hands like a bat. Andrew's eyes were wild with anger,   
his mind suddenly fixed on the idea of getting rid of the Knight   
before him. With all the strength he could manage, he swung the pole   
at the man's head only to find himself falling to the ground a second   
later.   
  
Makoto grunted as her shoulder came in contact with the boy, sending   
them both to the ground and the weapon clattering across the pavement.   
She winced as the boy's head hit the pavement. "Shimatta!" she muttered   
as she got up, checking his pulse as she did so. "He's alive, at least."   
  
The shadows constricted for a moment, and Bri suddenly slid to the   
ground. Moving forward, Mark placed the long blade of his glaive a   
fraction of an inch from Lucifer's throat. "Now, want to talk about   
where we're going to find your boss?"  
  
Lucifer smiled coldly, glancing around at the youths scattered around   
them. "I think not." There was a sudden crackle of energy, and Lucifer   
reappeared next to his briefcase with a mocking laugh. "I think I'll   
leave you to play with a few toys." Energy writhed around him as creatures   
rose into being, and he faded from sight with a smile as his lighter rose   
to ignite another cigarette.  
  
There was a hissing crackle as formless creatures rose, witch-fire eyes   
glowing with blue light as they fastened on the trio of warriors. Energy   
writhed once more and one of the creatures exploded as Sailor Pluto   
stepped out of the shadows and smiled grimly. "Evening, all."   
  
Rod looked relieved. "Sets, want to give us a hand?"   
  
Mark broke into a wide smile, then suddenly froze. He couldn't sense her.   
'Sets?' Reaching out with his mind, he tried to touch his soulmate's mind   
and found... nothing. 'What the hell?'  
  
Jupiter moved back toward Rod, her eyes fixed on the smoking remains of the   
beast Pluto had just destroyed. "Pluto ... What are you doing here?" She   
asked, turning to look at the green-haired senshi.  
  
Rod shrugged. "Why does it mat-" He cut off abruptly as a young woman   
leaned against the wall of the alley, tapping her toe slowly against a   
fallen column. With a sultry smile, she waved at him. "Hey, stud. How's   
it hanging?"  
  
Jupiter's eyes went wide, turning towards the young woman, looking her up   
and down. "Who the hell is that?" Makoto turned to Rod, raising an eyebrow  
questioningly.  
  
Rod went an icy shade of white. "Gods above.... Melinda?"  
  
The woman walked forward, leather clad hips swinging seductively. "Damn   
straight."  
  
"But you're dead."  
  
Parting red lips, the woman batted long black eyelashes at him. "Do I look   
dead to you?"  
  
Makoto's eyes narrowed as she took a step back. "You may not be now," She   
muttered, "But I can fix that real quick ..."  
  
"Don't worry about her, love." A hand reached out, landing on Jupiter's   
shoulder, causing her to whirl around.  
  
"Get you hand-!" Jupiter's eyes went wide, her words dying in her throat   
as she found herself looking up into piercing blue eyes. "Aaron?"  
  
A swift hand moved to her waist, a cocky smile spreading across the man's   
lips. "In the flesh."  
  
Jupiter pushed out of his grasp, staggering back a few steps, shaking   
her head in denial. "Impossible ..." She whispered, staring at a man   
she hadn't seen since before the rise of Crystal Tokyo.  
  
Rod stepped back, eyes wide, as the woman pressed close to him. "What's   
the matter, champ?" She licked her lips enticingly. "Wife keeping you on   
too short a leash to kiss your old lover?"  
  
Rod licked dry lips. 'She's dead! You saw her die in an auto accident;   
the semi smashed her cycle flat. She's dead, she can't be here, she's   
dead....'  
  
Jupiter's hands were shaking as she continued to move backward, eyes   
not leaving Aaron's. "Who are you?" She asked again, her voice barely   
above a whisper.  
  
"Don't tell me you've forgotten me, Mako-chan ..." Something in his tone   
changed, something that sent chills down her spine.  
  
"No ... but ..." Makoto's words faltered as he reached out, gently   
stroking her face, his eyes meeting hers. She gasped as her back came   
up against a crumbling wall, his hand moving out and trapping her   
against it.  
  
"But nothing ..." He leaned in closer, his face inches from hers. "I   
can tell you haven't forgotten ..."   
  
'This isn't happening!' Makoto told herself, closing her eyes, hoping   
what had to be an illusion would go away.  
  
Mark looked over at Setsuna, eyes locked on hers. It registered that   
he should have been looking around but wasn't, but he couldn't seem to   
think about it.  
  
Pluto's magenta eyes fastened on Mark's as she slowly walked toward him,   
her staff held loosely in her hand. "Seems I came just in time ..." She   
smiled at him, tilting her head slightly as she stopped in front of him.  
  
Mark's eyes looked into hers, and he found himself smiling. "All part of   
the service, heart?"  
  
Pluto stepped closer, gently resting her hand on Mark's chest, a quizzical   
expression on her face. "What service?"   
  
Mark blinked, and suddenly everything fell into place. He couldn't sense   
her. There was a flicker of shimmering steel, and the distinct sound of   
parting flesh.  
  
Rod pressed against the wall, frozen as the woman leaned up to kiss him   
... and then she collapsed in a shower of blue hell-fire as a spinning   
glaive-blade took her through the neck.  
  
"Why don't I try and bring back some of those old mem..." Aaron's words   
cut off as a blade was rammed through his gut. Makoto watched with a mixture   
of fear and shock as the blade moved up, slicing him open, blue tongues of   
fire lashing up at the blade as the body fell to the ground.  
  
"What the hell was that?" She gasped, her eyes darting to Mark who stood in   
front of her, glaive in hand.  
  
Mark's eyes flashed. "I think it's a little illusion, courtesy of our friend   
Lucifer." Noticing a puddle of blue flame still writhing, he jammed the glaive   
through it and it stilled. "Care to guess what it would have done to us to kiss   
those things?"  
  
Jupiter eyed what was left of the creatures, her hands shaking slightly as she  
moved next to Rod, standing close to him. "I ... I don't know .. But I'm   
assuming it wouldn't have been good ..."  
  
Rod's arms slid around her, clinging to her as though he were drowning.  
"Gods...."  
  
Makoto's hands moved over Rod's, still looking blankly at the remains of the   
monsters. "Mark ..." Her eyes rose to his. "Thank you ... If you hadn't   
sensed it ... We ..." Jupiter shook her head, not wanting to finish the   
statement.  
  
Mark smiled grimly, looking down at the remains around them. "Never try to  
imitate someone's spouse. There's always too much you can't know about."   
Bending down, he hefted one of the youth on the ground over his shoulders.   
"Let's deal with these three and get out of here."  
  
Makoto nodded silently, almost reluctantly stepping away from Rod, moving   
to pick the young woman to take her and her friends to the hospital for   
treatment.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The atmosphere within the palace was tense, everyone's nerves were  
on edge. Everywhere there were tired and drawn faces, eyes filled  
with anger and frustration. It seemed for every inch they advance,  
the senshi were shoved back a foot by Reignfire and his followers.  
  
'We're getting careless....' Makoto thought to herself, inhaling the  
sweet scent of the flowers that surrounded her. Taking a moment  
to bask in the warm sunlight filtering through the glass walls  
of one of several greenhouses surrounding the Crystal Palace, Makoto  
tried to relax, but her mind refused to cooperate. 'We're getting   
tired and careless ... We can't afford that...'  
  
A grim laugh filled the room. "They're getting smarter, love. And we   
aren't catching up nearly fast enough."   
  
Makoto gasped in surprise, nearly dropping the pot of daffodils she   
held in her hands. "Rod!" She breathed, turning to see him looking at   
her, standing in the doorway. With slightly shaking hands she placed   
the flowers safely on the counter, still looking at her husband. "You   
scared me...." She said, looking up at him with strained emerald eyes.  
  
The silver and emerald clad man slid from the wall and knelt down in   
front of her, looking up into her face with a pained smile. "I'm sorry,   
love. I didn't know if you'd want to see me."  
  
"Didn't know....?" Makoto looked down at him, reaching out and gently   
resting her hand against his face. "What on earth could possibly make   
me not want to see you?"  
  
Brown eyes closed, pale features aching with grief. "After what happened   
today, I wasn't sure you'd still trust me after what I almost...."  
  
"Hush.." Makoto's voice was soft, her fingers moving to Rod's mouth. She   
shook her head gently. "Don't ... Please ..." Makoto lowered herself to   
her knees, so she sat before him on the floor, her eyes meeting his.   
"YOU didn't almost do anything ... And if you did, then so did I ..."   
Her eyes fell to the floor in front of her, suddenly not wanting to meet   
his gaze as she remembered the emotions that had rose within her when that  
horrible clone had confronted her.  
  
Rod's hands slowly lifted her face, eyes rising to meet hers. "Oh, love ..."  
  
Green eyes rose to meet brown, tears shimmering within them. "Rod ..."   
Makoto's hands began to shake again, the horrible memories flooding back   
to her. How helpless she'd felt, how she hadn't fought back ... And even   
worse, how she hadn't been able to.  
  
Gently encircling her in his arms, Rod lifted her as he gently moved to   
the shade of one of the tall pine trees, settling her in his lap. 'I   
know, love.....' His hands stroked her hair, trying to ease the tide   
of memory that washed over her. 'I'm here. You can tell me. I'm right   
here...'  
  
Makoto leaned against him, clinging to him as she tried to drive off   
the fears that seemed to rise within her. "Gods ... Its like ... Like   
they reached in a ripped the most heart-wrenching memory out of our   
minds ..." Her voice broke, her eyes closing. "And then brought them   
to life for us to face again ..."  
  
Rod's voice ached with remembered pain as he held her tightly. "I think   
that's exactly what he meant to do." Images welled up in his mind, a   
flashed smile and a wave as a helmet was snapped into place, then the   
usual roar as the motorcycle tore out of the driveway. Turning away,   
just for a moment, and then the heart-wrenching sound of shattering   
metal and ripping plastic from behind him.  
  
She hadn't even screamed. The semi had hit her broadside at almost sixty   
miles per hour, and what was left of her after impact was barely recognizable.   
He hadn't gone to the funeral. She'd always been so vital and alive; the idea   
of her cold and still had been too much to bear.  
  
Rod's shoulders started to shake as he clamped down on his emotions,   
refusing to let himself break down. 'Makoto needs you, you pathetic   
idiot! Pull yourself together. Don't fail your soulmate like you failed   
Melissa.'  
  
Makoto drew back a little, wincing as she caught a glimpse of the images,   
knowing what they were. She'd spent many nights sitting silently by his   
side, just letting him know she was there. She also felt him closing off,   
trying to lock the memories and the flood of emotion they brought with them   
away.  
  
"Rod ... Look at me." Makoto placed her hand under his chin, gently raising   
his eyes to hers. "It's okay," Her voice wavered slightly, trying to fight   
back the urge to just throw herself in his arms and cry. "I think ... I think   
right now, more than ever ... we need each other ... We have to let the ones   
that love us, help us." She took a deep breath. "I need you more than anything   
in this world ... But I don't need your strength, your stubborn will, your   
chivalry or your heroics. What I do need is you ... all of you ... anger,   
fear, pain ... all of it. That way we can deal with it together, instead   
of alone."  
  
His eyes met hers, and as it always did everything else faded away. Taking   
her in his arms, Rod kissed her gently and opened himself, letting her heal   
his pain as he soothed her fears. They were together, as they always had   
been and always would be, and time passed them by like a gentle breeze.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
AUTHOR'S NOTES  
  
First I would like to apologize to all readers (all three of you ^.~) for how  
long it took me to get Part 4 out. Since July ... things have been somewhat  
topsy turvy for me. I'll be doing my best to get a Chapter out at least once  
a month, but seeing as how I'm currently flying solo, I can't make many promises.  
  
Special thanks go out to all those that have helped put this together and have  
helped with the editing of this monstrosity. I'm sure seeing 300K worth of fic  
in your inbox waiting to be corrected is intimidating. ^^;;;;  
  
I'd also like to thank those that have encouraged me to continue, giving me  
the support I needed to actually tackle this thing again. Without your words  
and emails, Fallen Stars would probably still be collecting cyber-dust on my  
hard drive.  
  
Lastly, feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think of Part 4.  
Fallen Stars has been over a year in the making, and I can only hope it lives  
up to expectations and shows all the work that was put into it. Email's a good  
thing people! My inbox won't bite!!  
  
email: fallen_star715@yahoo.com  
AIM sn: FallenStar715 


	8. Part Four - Chapter 2

------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko  
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.  
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and  
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Fallen Stars  
by  
Lady Archanna & Archmage  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Part 4  
Chapter 2  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Chibi-Usa sat in front of large, ebony framed mirror gently brushing out her   
hair, her eyes shining with a dark light. Looking at herself, she could see   
the power that seemed to radiate from her and she loved it. She loved the   
feel of knowing that nothing could touch her unless she wanted it to,   
nothing could harm her.   
  
'Reignfire wouldn't let that happen.' she thought happily to herself,   
briefly recalling her last session with him. Suddenly her hand stopped   
in mid-stroke, the air rippling with a sudden crackle of energy. Rolling   
her eyes, Chibi resumed tending to her hair without turning away from the   
mirror when she spoke. "What do you want, Siren?"   
  
Amber eyes narrowed as Siren stepped away from the far wall, her arms   
crossed. "I was just coming to see how your latest training session went."   
Her voice was calm, though her eyes told of hidden concern.   
  
"Not that it's any of your business, but it went fine." Chibi replied,   
looking at the woman in the mirror and smiling as a flash of anger passed   
over her normally unaffected features.   
  
Siren bit back the annoyance that rose, forcing herself to relax. "I'm   
please to hear that," Siren replied, an icy smile fixed on lips as she   
moved forward and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Reignfire is a   
good teacher."   
  
Chibi-Usa nodded, feeling Siren's mind reaching towards hers, looking for   
information. "Indeed he is," she said, her eyes glittering with cruel   
intent as she intentionally recalled her final moments with their lord.   
Images of her in his arms, soft words whispered in her ears all flashed   
across her mind.   
  
Siren drew a breath, her grip tightening on the girl's shoulder as the   
memories were literally shoved in her face. Amber eyes flared golden,   
flashing with undisguised anger. "Don't get used to that, small one."   
she hissed, her eyes meeting Chibi-Usa's in the mirror.   
  
Chibi-Usa winced as Siren's nails dug into her skin, knowing she'd   
pushed farther than was wise. 'Screw her...' Chibi-Usa scowled,   
throwing the woman's hand off of her and standing. "Don't worry,   
I won't." Chibi-Usa said mockingly. "I know things can only get   
better."   
  
Siren laughed, stepping back and folding her arms across her chest,   
regarding the girl with obvious amusement. "You truly are a deluded   
little fool aren't you?" Siren stepped forward, roughly grabbing  
Chibi-Usa's face so she had to meet her gaze. "Reignfire will never   
give you what it is you're after, small one."   
  
Chibi-Usa met Siren's gaze, a wicked smile playing on her lips.   
"Oh, and what makes you think he hasn't already?"   
  
Siren laughed, taking a step back from the defiant child that stood   
before her. "Because, to him, you're nothing more than a powerful   
new toy." Siren shook her head, smiling. "Besides, you could never   
offer him what it is he wants."   
  
"Oh, couldn't I?" Chibi-Usa asked, tilting her head to the side,   
eyes narrowing. "And just how confident are you in that?"   
  
Siren stopped laughing, her eyes getting hard, her tone pulsing with   
hidden power. "I'd be willing to stake your life on it, Princess."   
  
There was a deliberately loud hiss of robes on the floor as a figure   
stepped out of the shadows and walked towards the two figures in the   
center of the room. Red eyes glistened, unreadable as the mind behind   
them as a darkness so potent as to fill the very air around him stepped   
forward toward his servants. "Good evening, ladies. I trust you are   
enjoying each others' company?"  
  
Siren's gaze snapped up, turning away from Chibi-Usa to look at   
Reignfire. Immediately the fire was gone from her eyes, and when   
she spoke her tone was calm. "Of course we are, Lord. I was just   
here to see how her latest training session went."   
  
Reignfire nodded, eyes level and voice casually calm. "I was most   
impressed with the progress." His eyes shifted to Chibi-Usa, taking   
her in at a glance. "I hope you enjoyed it, servant."   
  
Chibi-Usa smiled to herself, feeling his eyes on her. "I enjoyed it   
immensely, Lord. I can't wait for the next one."   
  
Siren scowled at the girl, picking up easily on the emotions drifting   
through Chibi-Usa's mind. Stepping closer to Reignfire, she smiled at   
him once more. "Perhaps I can take part in the next session; offer her   
some of my expertise."   
  
Reignfire gave her a cordial look that lost none of its firmness for   
being polite. "I'm sure you have better uses for your time, my lady."   
  
Siren's smile faltered, a stifled laugh from Chibi-Usa not escaping   
her ears. "Of course, my Lord," she replied, her tone flat. "I just   
know how tiring it can be training our new servants."   
  
"As his servant, I think he should be the one in charge of my training,"   
Chibi-Usa cut Siren off, a mocking smile on her face.   
  
'What you think isn't relevant.' Siren replied silently, knowing better   
than to speak aloud.   
  
Reignfire's eyes flickered, and his sense cooled just enough to let her   
know he'd heard her. "I think, my lady, that your duties in Crystal Tokyo   
are far more deserving of your attention than my training of my apprentice."   
Without a break, Reignfire turned to Chibi-Usa and gave her a long look that   
vibrated with warm concern. "Are you quite comfortable, servant?"   
  
Siren's lips tightened into a thin smile as she took a step away from   
Reignfire, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. Amber eyes   
narrowed, watching Chibi-Usa's face light up as he turned his full   
attention on her.   
  
Chibi-Usa didn't notice Siren's glare, all she was aware of was her   
lord's gaze, his eyes on her and the apparent concern in his voice.   
She'd never heard that before, not even when he spoke to Siren. "Of   
course I am, Lord. You've made sure I'm well provided for, and I   
thank you for it."   
  
Reignfire's sense stroked her mind, warm as a lover's smile. "I'll   
be back soon for your next training session. First, I have a few   
other matters to attend to. Will you be ready?"   
  
Chibi-Usa shuddered slightly as she felt his mind touching hers,   
a feeling beyond that of simple respect blossoming within her. "I'm   
always ready for you, my Lord."   
  
Siren bit back a scream of frustration as she watched the two   
interact, reading Chibi-Usa's mind with ease. There was no doubt   
in her mind what the girl's intentions were, and there was no way   
Siren would allow her to get it. Reignfire turned, gesturing to   
Siren casually. "If you'll excuse us, the lady Siren and I have   
some business to deal with concerning her work in Crystal Tokyo."   
He reached out, giving Chibi-Usa's pleasure centers a long mental   
stroke for good measure. "I'll be back, my servant."   
  
Chibi-Usa nodded mutely, her mind reeling from the sensations   
Reignfire sent through her. When she spoke, her voice was a   
breathless whisper. "I'll be waiting, my lord."   
  
Siren gritted her teeth, amber eyes flaring with anger. Without   
tearing her gaze from Chibi-Usa, she moved toward Reignfire.   
"Shall we be going, my Lord?" she asked, her tone icy, eyes still   
fixed on the girl.   
  
Reignfire nodded. "Of course. Duty calls." With a slow turn, he   
strolled casually from the room. As soon as the door closed behind   
him, Reignfire's walk sped to a long-limbed stalk that silently   
carried him to the door of his quarters. Without a word, he threw   
open the door and entered the room like the heart of a gathering   
storm.   
  
Siren's head snapped around just in time to see Reignfire disappear   
through the doorway. 'He left me?' she thought to herself, her head   
shaking slightly. 'No, he wouldn't...' Her hands were shaking at her   
sides. She turned once more, tossing a burning glare at Chibi-Usa and   
quickly took her leave. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself, her   
mind racing as she tried to make sense of what Reignfire doing. "I   
know he needs to set the little monster's mind at ease..." She felt   
hot tears burning her eyes as she approached his door. Taking a   
moment to wipe them away, she entered his chambers with a tight   
smile fixed on her lips.   
  
"You seem to be enjoying the Princess as much as I was, Lord."   
Siren's voice shook slightly, her tone razor sharp. "One would   
almost think you care for the child."   
  
Reignfire's eyes locked onto hers, hot with an anger that seemed   
to reverberate through the room. His voice was cold as ice when   
he spoke, tightly controlled anger boiling under the surface.   
"You jealous, petty, visionless little woman. Do you have any   
idea how dangerous your interference is?"   
  
Siren winced, taking a step away from him, each word stinging   
like a physical blow. She'd rarely seen him this angry. "I-I..."   
she grasped for words, her eyes dropping to the floor. "I'm sorry,   
my Lord. I shouldn't have been so ... so..." Siren's voice trailed   
off into silence, not wanting to chance angering him more than he   
already was.  
  
Reignfire stood utterly still for a long moment, his rage seeming   
to reach into the very core of the world around them before it slowly   
subsided. When he spoke again, the fury was gone from his voice. "Love,   
you realize what I intend for Chibi-Usa?"   
  
Siren's eyes rose to meet his, her arms folding across her chest.   
"I thought I did," she said, speaking barely above a whisper as her   
eyes dropped away from his once more.   
  
His voice was soft, gently soothing. "I'm going to use her as a weapon,   
and I'm going to drive that weapon into the heart of Crystal Tokyo. To   
do that, I have to control her. Not only do I have to rule her, she has   
to want me to rule her. You see?"   
  
Siren was silent for a moment, Reignfire's words not something new to her.   
She'd known of his plan from the beginning, she just hadn't planned on it   
hurting so much. "I understand, Lord," she replied finally, her voice   
dropping to a whisper. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."   
  
His arms slid around her without warning, gently drawing her into   
his robes. "It's a lie, love. You know me well enough to recognize   
that." Red eyes gleamed in the darkness of the room. "When did you   
last hear me ask anyone if they would obey?"   
  
Siren did not protest as he drew her close to him, breathing deeply   
as his arms went around her. Smiling a little, she spoke as her voice   
took on its normal tone once more. "Never, my Lord." Siren laughed   
softly. "I should know better, but something in the way she looked   
at you and what I saw in her mind..." Siren shook her head slightly,   
resting it against Reignfire's chest. "I'll try and do better, Lord."   
  
Reignfire's mind slid around hers, an all-encompassing embrace. "I   
know you will."   
  
Siren's eyes rose, searching the folds of the cloak, amber eyes   
seeking out red ones. She opened her mouth to speak once more,   
but a gloved hand reached and gently silenced her. They stood for   
a moment, minds touching, wrapping around one another, sinking   
deeply into the other's gaze. Then there was a rustle of cloth   
as Reignfire's mind captured hers, a silent wind sweeping through   
the room and plunging them into the sweet embrace of darkness.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Dark blue eyes focused intently on the computer screen in front   
of them, a map of Crystal Tokyo upon it. Ami reached up, brushing   
a strand of navy hair out of her face as she tried to gather   
something from the data she'd managed to collect. For the past   
several weeks she'd had cameras and surveillance systems going   
non-stop throughout the city, in hopes of gaining something she   
could bring to the Queen as a solution. Thus far, her queries had   
produced nothing.   
  
"There has to be something!" she muttered, sitting back in her chair,   
running her fingers through her hair. "I refuse to believe anyone   
could be this perfect..."   
  
With a sigh, she leaned forward again, focusing in on another portion   
of the map, hoping the electronic cameras might have picked up   
something she could use. 'All I need is a word, a movement, something   
to give me some idea what's coming next,' she thought to herself as she   
once again immersed herself in the videos that flashed across the monitor.   
  
Hands lightly touched her shoulders, long fingers running gently at tight   
muscle knots. Ami sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, relishing the   
magic being worked on her tired shoulders.   
  
"Thanks, love..." She said, tilting her head up to smile at Alexis. "I   
needed that."   
  
Bending down to gently kiss his wife, icy blue eyes sparkled with concern.   
"How long have you been doing this?"   
  
Ami looked up at him, smiling slightly. "I lost track somewhere around   
lunch time." She sighed, shaking her head. "There's just so much to go   
through, and I don't even know what I should be looking for. It's so   
frustrating."   
  
Alexis let his lips brush hers, long white hair tumbling down around her   
face. 'Maybe you should take a break.'   
  
Ami reached up, gently returning the kiss, meeting her husbands worried   
gaze. "I wish I could ... But the enemy doesn't seem to be taking a break,   
so how can I?" Ami shook her head, her gaze traveling back to the computer   
screen. "Just one thing, that's all I'm after. One clue, and then maybe   
I'll think about taking a break..."   
  
'You won't do any good worn out, heart.' Alexis slid his arms around her   
waist, holding her gently against him.   
  
Ami sighed, suddenly realizing how blurry the images on the screen looked.   
Squeezing her eyes shut, she nodded. "You're right, of course..." she   
whispered, pulling away from him and pushing her chair away from the desk.   
Stretching sore limbs she stood, turning to look at him. "Happy now?"   
  
Alexis's eyes gleamed, sliding his arms around her waist and looking down   
at her. "Almost."   
  
Ami blushed slightly as Alexis pulled her closer to him, his eyes focused   
on her. Dropping her gaze, she leaned her head against his chest and closed   
her eyes. "I wish I could say the same," she whispered, listening to the   
soothing rhythm of his heartbeat. "But I feel so lost right now."   
  
Reaching up, he ran his fingers through the short blue hair he loved so   
much. "Oh heart...."   
  
Ami felt a tear escape her closed eyes, sliding slowly down her pale   
cheek. "They're all counting on me to find an answer. A solution." Her  
voice wavered slightly as she tried to fight down anger and frustration   
that rose within her. "And I'm truly beginning to think there isn't one   
to be found."   
  
Alexis's arms tightened slightly, pressing her to him. "It'll come.   
He can't be perfect. Eventually he'll slip up somewhere."   
  
"Until then we have to sit by and wait ... While he has his way with   
the city?" Ami bit her lip, her frustration showing in her voice. "What   
if by the time he does slip up, there's nothing left to save?"   
  
Alexis flinched, but didn't let her go. "Then we beat him and start over."   
  
Ami's mouth tightened as she pushed out of his embrace, stepping away   
from him. She looked at him for a moment, her eyes shimmering with   
unspoken fears, then she turned her back on him. "I don't want to   
start over!" She said sharply, her hands covering her face. "I don't   
want things to end yet again, leaving us to pick up the pieces!"   
  
His hands touched her gently. "We've done it before, my love. We'll do   
it again, if we have to."   
  
She pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around herself tightly trying   
to fight back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. When she   
spoke again, her voice was flat. "I guess so. Its not like we have much   
of a choice."   
  
He lifted her face to his, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her   
passionately as he pulled her pain into his own heart. 'Oh gods, love.'   
  
Ami resisted the kiss at first, her mind telling her this was neither   
the time nor the place for this, but as she felt Alexis's love embracing   
her she allowed herself to relax. 'I'm just so tired...' she said quietly   
into his mind, her lips lingering on his, not wanting to pull away just   
yet.  
  
Memory flowed up in him, pulsing between them as he held her in the kiss;   
the first time they'd met, the first time they'd kissed on a lonely building   
top on a night of war when neither of them expected to see the dawn, her   
blue eyes looking up at him as they'd held each other in the night. Memories   
beyond counting, and the promise of so many more to come that he ached at   
the thought of not being able to share every one with her. His lips pressed   
tighter on hers as he gently tangled his fingers in her hair. 'I love you,   
Ami-chan. Gods, but I love you.'  
  
'I love you too, Alex.' Ami sighed into his mind, the memories washing over   
to her, bringing her to the one place she'd ever felt it was okay not to be   
in charge, not to have the answers. That's the one thing Alexis had always   
brought to her life, from the first moment they'd met; questions that didn't   
always have straight answers, and the ability not to care that they didn't.   
For all their seriousness and all their studies, when they were alone,   
together, thinking was always optional, and she thanked him for that   
each day.   
  
As she pressed herself closer to him, draping her arms around his neck as   
they continued to kiss, she felt the fog that had settled over her mind   
clearing, and things began to look a little less hopeless. 'Thank you love...'  
  
The door creaked as it swung open, and a sudden, embarrassed cough from   
the doorway broke the moment. The man in lab uniform shifted uncomfortably,   
holding the large envelope in front of him with a nervous smile. "Excuse me.   
Didn't mean to interrupt, Lady Mercury, you just asked to have those pictures   
brought up when we finished developing them..."  
  
Aim froze in place, her eyes going wide as the messenger entered the room.   
She felt her face turning crimson even as she moved away from Alexis,   
turning to the door. "T-Thank you ..." She stuttered, avoiding the intruding   
man's gaze, holding on to her husband's arm tightly.  
  
Alex reached out and took the envelope from the man, giving him a calm smile.   
"Thank you. You can go now, if you like...."  
  
Ami's grasp on Alexis's arm tightened, her fingers digging into his arm as   
she shot him a warning glance, the crimson on her cheeks deepening further.   
"What my husband meant to say was you're free to go..." Ami's voice cracked   
slightly. "I'll call you if I need anything else."  
  
As the door slid shut behind the retreating messenger, Alexis gave her an   
innocent smile and an arched eyebrow. "What's this?"  
  
Ami frowned at him, taking the envelop from his hands. "These are from the   
attack at the hospital ... When that news reporter died..." Ami said quietly,   
looking at the envelop carefully, almost afraid to open it. "There's little   
chance of there being anything in here we can use ... " She said quietly,   
her voice trailing off.  
  
Alexis slipped it open, almost casually pulling the enlarged photos out   
and glancing at them. "Can't be anything too bad....." His voice died   
in his throat, eyes widening suddenly. "Oh gods...."  
  
Ami immediately turned to Alexis. "What is it?" She asked, moving beside   
him to look at the photographs. "What ..." Blue eyes widened in disbelief   
at the silver and pink image captured on the film. "It .. can't be.."  
  
"It is." Alexis's guts clenched into a tight ball at the sight of the   
malicious pleasure in his Princess's face. "It is. Gods help us."  
  
"How .. How ..." Ami shook her head slowly, stepping away from Alexis,   
away from the pictures, away from the proof she'd been searching so   
diligently for. The back of her knees came into contact with her desk,   
and she unsteadily lowered herself onto it, her eyes meeting Alexis's.   
"How am I going to tell the Queen?"  
  
Alexis's lips tightened. "That, love, is going to be the least of our   
problems."  
  
Ami looked at him silently for a moment, then shook her head. "It may   
be the least ... But it's going to be the hardest..." Ami's voice wavered   
as her fingers dug into the edge of the desk. "And I'm going to have to be   
the one to tell her..."   
  
Ice blue eyes held hers. "Let me help you."  
  
"I ... I can't." Ami took a deep breath, choking back a sob. "If this has   
to come from anyone ... It should come from someone close ..." Ami smiled   
a little. "I've been with her from the start ... I've helped her rebuild   
her life, her world more times than I can remember ... I should be the one   
to tell her the one thing that could bring it crashing down around her   
once more ... At least that way I'm close by to help pick up the pieces..."  
  
Gently he put his arms around her. When he spoke, his voice was soft.   
"Let's go see the King."  
  
"Okay ..." Ami leaned heavily against him, closing her eyes she fought   
back the tears that threatened to fall. Her arms wrapped tightly around   
him as she struggled not to give into the overwhelming grief that washed   
over her.  
  
Gently guiding his wife, Lord Mercury began the long climb toward the   
Royal quarters  
with a heavy heart.  
  
The light tap on the door brought the King's head up from the paperwork   
he'd been entering with a sudden sense of dread. Unexpected news was   
something he'd once enjoyed; right now, unexpected news was almost   
never good. "Come."  
  
Slowly Ami pushed the door opened, amazed at how heavy it seemed as   
she stepped into the King's office. Her eyes concentrated on the ground,   
the envelope clasped tightly in her hands. "Good evening, Endymion." She   
said quietly, her heartbeat echoing in her ears.  
  
Endymion pushed himself up from his chair and walked to her, gently  
taking her hand. "Ami! News? Why so downcast?"  
  
There was a slight cough, and Alexis spoke up from just outside the door.   
"We have some hard news, my King."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The sun was setting outside, casting a reddish glow over the city as it   
fell into the temporary peace night seemed to bring. Inside the palace,   
the somber atmosphere seemed to dull everything it touched, sometimes so   
heavy it was hard to catch one's breath.   
  
Magenta eyes showed the weight on the shoulders of the Time Senshi as   
she sat, focused on a series of images that played before her in the   
center of a crystal globe. As the smiling face of a young girl with   
Cotton candy pink hair appeared, Setsuna's pale hand reached out,   
resting on the smooth glass surface.  
  
"Small Lady..." She whispered softly, her voice echoing off the walls   
of the empty chamber.  
  
"Set ... What are you doing in here?" Serenity's voice tore the time   
senshi from her thoughts, her eyes flashing to the doorway.   
  
"Your Majesty..." Setsuna stumbled, getting to her feet, her eyes not   
meeting the Queen's. "I'm sorry .. I shouldn't be in here..."  
  
Serenity's eyes softened as she entered the Princess's room, her   
heart aching at how much of the girl she saw in everything. "Its   
okay, Sets. You're allowed..."  
  
Pluto looked up, her eyes meeting the crystal blue gaze of the one   
woman she respected above all else, her heart breaking at the great   
sadness she saw in them. "Thank you, Majesty." She said softly,   
slowly closing the wooden case that held the globe she'd presented   
to Chibi-Usa for her birthday.  
  
Serenity nodded, moving into the room and sitting carefully on the   
bed, picking up a small stuffed rabbit that leaned against the pillows.   
"Gods .. I can still remember when Chibi-Usa got this ..." Serenity's   
voice wavered slightly as she clutched the small stuffed animal to her   
chest. "She'd never go anywhere without it ..."  
  
Setsuna's expression remained blank, not sure what to say to her grieving   
Queen. 'Especially when I know I have nothing comforting to tell her...'  
  
Just then, the Queen's soft sobs reached the time guardian's ears, and   
magenta eyes softened once again. With a heavy sigh, Setsuna moved to   
the bed, sitting beside Serenity, putting her arms gently around her.  
  
"I just want my little girl back, Sets ..." Serenity whispered as she   
felt Setsuna's arms wrapping around her. "I'd give up anything right   
now ... Just to get her back ..."  
  
Setsuna swallowed hard, gently stroking Serenity's fine silver hair.   
"I know you would ..." She said, wanting to calm the Queen's fears,   
but knowing she couldn't. 'So would I ...' She added silently.  
  
Boot heels clicked softly on the floor behind them, and there was a   
soft hiss of cloth as Endymion's cape settled around him. His voice   
was quiet, ragged. "I need to speak with both of you."  
  
Serenity's head snapped up when she heard her husband's voice, and   
immediately she felt Setsuna's arms disappear from around her, but   
felt the Time Senshi gently take her hand. "What .. What is it,   
love?" She asked, her voice quiet, her eyes searching Endymion's.  
  
His eyes were dark, the blue clouded by a grim pain like nothing   
she'd seen in them before. He walked toward her as though every   
step was a labor, face chiseled like carved basalt. When he spoke,   
pain laced his voice. "It's about Chibi-Usa."  
  
Setsuna's grip on the Queen's hand tightened when she heard her   
sharp intake of breath, magenta eyes turning hard, knowing what   
was coming.  
  
"Chibi-Usa?" Serenity's heart skipped a beat, a rush of fear   
and hope slamming into her at the same time. "What have you   
found out?" She asked, moving to stand, but feeling Setsuna   
pulling her gently back down. She turned a questioning glance   
at the green-haired woman and then fixed her eyes back on her   
husband. "What is it?"  
  
Wordlessly, he extended two small sheets of plastic to her.   
Taking a deep breath, he managed to speak. "These were taken   
three days ago, by a reporter killed in an attack on one of our   
hospitals."  
  
Serenity looked at the pictures, almost afraid to touch them.   
Looking up at Endymion, she caught a sudden wave of anguish pulsing   
from him, causing her to wince. Without taking her eyes off of his,   
she reached out, taking the photographs carefully in her hand.  
  
"What are...." Serenity's words died in her throat, the stuffed rabbit   
falling from grasp and landing with a silent thud on the floor as her   
eyes focused on the images presented to her. "No ..." She croaked,   
her hands suddenly beginning to shake.  
  
Setsuna quietly looked at the photographs, immediately recognizing   
the unique hair of her Princess, even if there was little else that   
connected her to the smiling image she'd been looking at just moments   
before. "Small Lady ..." She whispered, her eyes losing all signs of emotion.  
  
Endymion sagged to the bed beside her, gathering the strength to put   
his arms around her as grief shuddered through his body. "Usako...."  
  
Serenity's head shook as she forced herself to focus on the pictures,   
her mind telling her what she was seeing couldn't possibly be real.   
"This .. This can't be ..." She breathed, her voice cracking as tears   
fell from her eyes. "This is a trick .. A lie .. This can't be real!"   
She cried, flinging the pictures violently to the ground.  
  
Setsuna silently released Serenity's hand, standing soberly and  
picking up the pictures, holding them in steady hands. All she could  
do was stand there silently, waiting; for once not having any predictions  
to make, no enigmatic promises to give.  
  
Endymion's eyes rose to Setsuna's, tracking the movement of the photographs   
and burning into her face. "You didn't know, did you, Sets?" Aching hope was   
in his voice, desperate disbelief. "You didn't know this had happened, did you?"  
  
Serenity suddenly looked up at Endymion, her eyes narrowing. "She couldn't have..."  
She said aloud, looking from him to the Setsuna. "You wouldn't have ..." Serenity's  
voice pleaded with Setsuna, pleaded for the answer she needed to hear.  
  
The Time Senshi stood there before her King and Queen, and felt the inescapable  
weight of their eyes on her. "I .. I wish to the gods above I could say otherwise,  
you Majesty ... But I can't ..." Setsuna's voice was flat as she spoke, her  
gaze dropping to her feet.  
  
Endymion's eyes slowly closed, his breathing shallow. "We've lost her, haven't  
we?"  
  
"Don't you DARE think that!" Serenity suddenly yelled, pushing herself out of   
Endymion's grasp and staggering to her feet. She stood between the two, her   
eyes moving from the King to the senshi. "She's not lost! I don't care what   
those pictures show! We haven't lost her!"  
  
Setsuna winced, taking a step away from the Queen, every word digging into   
her heart like a dagger. "Yes." She said quietly, the single syllable   
echoing through the room as if it had been screamed.  
  
"You're .. You're lying...." Serenity gasped, her knees suddenly giving   
way beneath her as she sunk to the floor. "You're both lying ..."  
  
Endymion pulled himself to his knees, breathing ragged as though something   
tore at his chest. "Love......"  
  
The King's words seeped through the fog of confusion that had suddenly   
descended over her mind. Blue eyes suddenly focused on his, her hands   
trembling as she reached out for his. "She can't be gone ..." She said   
quietly, shaking her head.  
  
He sagged forward into her arms, control snapping like an axed cord as   
sobs shook his frame. 'Beloved, our daughter......'  
  
Serenity forced her eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around her husband,   
holding him tightly against her. 'I'm sorry my love ...' Her eyes opened   
suddenly, fixing on the Time Senshi who stood silently by the door, tears   
sparkling in her magenta eyes.  
  
'Get out ...' Setsuna winced as the Queen's voice rang in her ears. With   
a silent nod, and thousands of unspoken apologies rushing through her heart,   
the time Senshi took her leave. As she stepped out into the empty hallway,   
Setsuna felt her resolve quickly break, and found the cool marble of the   
wall against her back as she slid to the floor. "I'm so sorry Usagi ..   
So sorry..." She repeated, drawing her knees up to her chest and burying   
her face in her hands. And around her the walls of the palace suddenly   
rocked as though struck a low blow.  
  
"What the hell..?" Setsuna's head snapped up, her ears ringing from the   
sound of the explosion. "Majesties?" She gasped, struggling to her feet   
and rushing back into the bedroom. The King and Queen were just starting   
to get to their feet, looks of shock on their faces.  
  
"What was that?" Serenity croaked, grabbing onto Endymion's arm for support   
as he stood.  
  
"I'm not sure..." Setsuna said as she brushed passed them, moving to the   
large window that overlooked the city. "My gods ..." Setsuna gasped when   
her eyes fell on the scene outside. A massive crowd surged against a thin   
line of guards, pushing steadily toward the palace gates. Animal fury contorted   
rank upon rank of faces as they hurled themselves forward.  
  
Endymion's eyes flashed, tracking over the crowd. "It's like something's driving   
them.... see how they're moving as a mass?"  
  
Serenity moved up next to the window, her hand moving to her mouth to stifle  
a gasp. "There are so many ..."  
  
Setsuna nodded grimly, her eyes scanning the situation. "And it looks like there   
are more coming." Setsuna's eyes fell upon the line of palace guards separating  
the growing mob from the gates. "And if we don't get down there soon and help,  
they're going to break through the guards."  
  
Something flickered below them .. and then a scream tore through the air and a  
spray of blood erupted over the crowd. The mass stepped back a pace, stunned,  
and into the gap a whirling dance of long steel blades spun with devastating   
effect.  
  
'Mark!' Setsuna gasped, seeing the Queen out of the corner of her eye take  
a step back. "We need to get down there, NOW." Setsuna said firmly, and an  
instant later she'd disappeared from the room.  
  
"He just .. killed ..." Serenity stammered, her mind trying desperately  
to grasp all that was being thrown at it.  
  
Endymion looked down, face hardening, and was suddenly gone in a blast of   
golden light. Energy burst over the crowd like a bomb blast as the King   
materialized in mid-air above the heart of the line, golden light streaming   
around his staff as he slammed it into the ground. "Enough!"  
  
The King's voice echoed through the air, bringing everything to a momentary   
standstill as wild-eyes citizens glanced up at him. Then, as if a switch   
had been flipped, chaos once again ensued.  
  
"Dammit ..." Setsuna cursed, taking position behind the guards, taking a   
moment to process what was going on.  
  
"What the hell are we supposed to do?" She heard a voice cry out, and her   
eyes moved to the left, falling upon Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter, each   
busy trying to hold off a group of angry citizens.   
  
Mark sidestepped an oncoming woman and slammed the flat of a glaive blade   
into her head, laying her flat. "Look for a controller; someone's   
influencing this crowd. Until then, whatever it takes." With a hard   
snap-kick, he sent a man sprawling into a clot of women who promptly   
trampled him.  
  
"He can't be serious ..." Jupiter hissed.  
  
"He sure as hell can be!" Uranus's voice assured her, the blonde   
senshi appearing beside her, sword in hand. "You want to survive,   
you're going to have to get your hands dirty..." As she said that,   
Uranus lunged forward, bringing a man to his knees with a sharp blow   
to the back of his neck.  
  
Endymion threw a blast of energy into the crowd, knocking a wave of   
them to their knees. "Rei, see anything?"  
  
The raven-haired senshi's head snapped up, a handful of charms ready   
to launch into the crowd. "I ..." Rei shook her head, moving just in   
time to avoid being knocked to the ground by a large man, barreling   
through the crowd. "There's so much going on out there .. I can't pick   
out anything.."   
  
Endymion grimaced, eyeing the line of guards. "We're holding, but if we   
don't put a wrap on this soon there are gonna be a lot of dead bodies."  
  
Nathan and Rod tore into the crowd around Rei, clearing a space around   
her through sheer brute strength. Slamming a man across the chest with   
the butt of his spear, Nathan braced himself for the next rush. "Rei,   
focus on finding our friends who are pulling the strings."  
  
Mars nodded, closing her eyes and using the precious seconds the   
Knights gave her to search the crowd, looking for the source of the   
danger. Every mind she touched seemed to be writhing with tendrils   
of negative energy, but none of them were the root of it. Suddenly,   
Rei winced, her mind coming up against a wall of energies so great   
there was no mistaking them.  
  
"They're behind this mob.." She whispered, grimacing in pain as her   
mind recovered from the encounter.  
  
Mark spun hard back from a small woman, then dropped into a foot-sweep   
that laid her flat. "Then let's take them. Think the guards can hold for   
a minute?"  
  
Jupiter eyed the guards, shaking her head in frustration. "We're going to   
have to hope they can ..."   
  
"Maybe I can help." Jupiter turned her head to see Sailor Mercury   
standing beside her, visor already scanning the crowd. Before the   
brunette could respond, the air was suddenly filled with a dense,   
icy fog. "That should slow them down some ..."  
  
Alexis slammed his staff down, and a shimmering barrier of ice   
slammed up in the center of the crowd. "And if that doesn't, then   
mine may. Let's move."  
  
Venus nodded, taking a step toward Mars, wincing slightly as her   
ankle protested the movement. "Let's do this carefully, people..."   
She called out, before blinking out of existence, reappearing at the   
back of the crowd. Venus crouched behind a fallen pillar, listening   
and watching as the rest of the senshi appeared, holding her breath   
in anticipation. 'Gods ... please let this work.'  
  
Endymion crackled into place on her left, moving with a stately grace   
as he raised a challenge. "Enough hiding. Stand and fight!"  
  
Venus looked up at Endymion, surprised by the sheer anger in his voice.   
Before she had time to consider it, she felt the arrival of the other   
senshi. Looking to her right she saw Jupiter and Mercury appear, the   
water senshi's visor scanning the area. Standing, she quickly located   
Uranus and Neptune, Saturn standing solemnly beside them, her glaive   
glinting in the setting sun. She saw a flash of green and black and   
knew that Pluto and Mark were there, waiting in the shadows. Finally,   
beyond the figure of the king, she saw Mars, hard violet eyes meeting   
hers.  
  
'At least we're all here..'   
  
Raw laughter erupted over the ruins, a crackle of light shimmering as   
three figures stepped into view from the psychic wall that had concealed   
them. The central figure, long blond hair flowing over his shoulders,   
smiled mockingly at the Senshi. "I hope you all like the little show   
we've put on........"  
  
"Some show," Uranus growled, her fingers flexing around the hilt of   
her sword.  
  
"Watch it, love." Neptune hissed, grabbing the blonde's arm and   
holding her still.  
  
A deep rumbling laugh from Veros filled the air, long claws clicking   
quietly. "Its been most entertaining."  
  
Mark stepped forward, blade shimmering in the dying sunlight. "Party's   
over. Who wants to die first?"  
  
"As if you stood a chance." Avarice's eyes glowed a deep purple, burning  
with amusement. "We'll have the city burning around you before nightfall."  
  
"Not a chance," Jupiter's voice rose, the air around her crackling with   
electricity as she eyed Avarice. "You will not be allowed to continue   
using the people of this city as puppets."  
  
Violet eyes darted quickly to the brunette before the fire senshi stepped   
forward. "The games end here."  
  
Dameon's eyes flashed. "Not unless you have a taste for corpses, dear   
girl." As if as one, the entire crowd behind them turned and charged   
toward the Senshi.  
  
'Dammit!' Venus thought, turning on her heels to see a wall of contorted,   
angry faces rushing toward her. Bracing herself for the on-coming assault,   
she was caught off guard as a wall of water rushed past her, only moments   
later to be frozen into a nearly impenetrable wall of ice. "What the...?"   
She turned to see Neptune holding the Aqua Mirror before her and Mercury   
lowering her hands.  
  
"Now you'll have to face us without your toys," Uranus' voice rose, filled   
with bitter contempt. "Unless that's too much for you..."  
  
Veros growled, massive shoulders shifting dangerously. "If you insist..."   
The creature seemed to blur into the air, and there was a hideous cracking   
sound as Rod was suddenly grabbed up and thrown full through the ice wall.   
Energy lashed out, striking for the Senshi, Veros and Dameon letting lose   
with a volley of heavy energy fire.  
  
Endymion threw himself sideways, cursing violently as energy blew past him.   
"Alex, Nathan, help Rod! He'll need it against that crowd..."  
  
Jupiter winced, her heart screaming for her to go make sure Rod was okay,   
but a low flying attack from their targets brought silenced the protests.   
She'd have to let the Knights make sure her husband was okay, she had help   
the other's neutralize the threat.   
  
"Mercury! Saturn! Go see if you can help them ..." Venus said quickly into   
her communicator as she rolled across the ground, the heat of a blast brushing   
dangerously close to her face. "Everyone else ... Let's take care of this   
trash..."   
  
Endymion stiffened in sudden alarm, his gut tingling. 'Usako! In a flash of   
gold, he was gone.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
From the safety of the palace, Serenity watched in stunned silence as her   
Senshi tried desperately to fend off what looked to be half the city, all   
enraged beyond reason. She felt her stomach tighten as she watched them   
try and fight off the mob, having to chose between getting themselves killed   
or attacking the people of Crystal Tokyo.  
  
Helplessly, she watched as the Senshi disappeared, no doubt trying to find   
the source of the madness driving the attack on the palace. "Please let  
them be safe.." She whispered, wincing as screams rose from below. Part  
of her was screaming that she needed to get out there and help, but she   
couldn't fight against her own people. "I need to protect them ... Not   
fight them."  
  
The child's toys at the edge of her vision seemed to shift uneasily,   
twisting with shadows that just barely touched them. The window seemed   
to darken slowly, eventually becoming almost mirror-like so that her own   
image stared back at her from in front of a field of shifting shadows.  
  
"What...?" Serenity gasped, stepping away from the window, her hand   
instinctively moving toward the golden brooch on her bodice. She   
shivered, her eyes moving between the shadows that seemed to have   
risen out of nowhere and the shifting darkness beyond the window.   
"Who's there?"  
  
Red eyes gleamed out of the window-flung darkness before her. "Why,   
little queen, its only me."  
  
Serenity's breath caught in her throat, the voice sending daggers of   
fear and anger through her. "Reignfire!" She hissed, taking another   
shaky step back.  
  
The eyes seemed to float closer, a shadowy figure distinctly moving   
against the darkness. The voice was low and soft, sliding over her ears   
like vipers on soft sand. "You have such a commendable love for the   
sanctity of your subjects."  
  
The queen's feet came to a halt, eyes like blue marbles fixing on the   
glowing red orbs. "I've given all I have for them, and I will do it a   
thousand times over if that's what it takes for them to live in peace."   
  
Reignfire laughed, a rolling sound that filled the room. Reaching down,   
he almost casually plucked a rabbit toy into his hand without reaching   
past her. "All, little queen? You haven't given quite all to them..."  
  
Serenity's heart stopped, his voice suddenly rising behind her. Grasping   
her brooch tightly in her hand she turned slowly, her eyes falling on a   
vision that had been haunting her sleep. "I've given them all I've ever   
had to give..." Her words died in her throat as her eyes fell on the object   
he held in his hand, and suddenly she felt like she'd been plunged back   
into the middle of one of her seemingly endless nightmares. "Put that down!"   
  
He laughed softly, an adder's hiss, gloved black hand raising the toy   
carelessly. "This? She'll have no further need of such trinkets, little   
queen." Glancing down at it almost contemptuously, he smiled as the small   
rabbit slowly ignited and burned down to a mass of ashes. "She's moved   
beyond such things now."  
  
Serenity's mouth opened in silent protest as the toy disintegrated in   
his hands, her eyes following as the remains fluttered to the floor.   
Her gaze then rose, fire burning within her crystal eyes. "Where is   
she?" She demanded, her hands trembling with barely contained anger.   
"Tell me, or gods help me I'll..."  
  
Reignfire cut her off with casual amusement. "You'll what, little   
queen? Call your precious Senshi who are fighting your own people?   
Bring in your guard, who are being mobbed? What exactly will you do   
if I don't tell you?"  
  
"I'll find a way to force you to tell me ..." Serenity shot back,   
her eyes narrowing. "And then I'll be sure you pay for every evil   
deed you've committed, for each and every life you've stolen ...   
Every innocent you've destroyed."  
  
"Such vengeance." Reignfire's eyes gleamed with silent laughter.   
"I suppose you're not so forgiving and kind, in the end."  
  
"What?" Serenity's voice rose in disbelief, shaking her head slowly.   
"Don't you dare tell me what I am and am not ... I doubt you even   
have the slightest concept of what those words truly mean."  
  
Dark robes hissed as her tormenter drew closer to her, red eyes   
burning into hers. "Of course I do. One must always understand   
the enemy."  
  
The queen drew back in partial disgust and partial anger as   
Reignfire moved closer. "If you understood me one bit, you'd   
know that I won't give up until everything is as it should be,   
and that you have no chance of succeeding."  
  
Reignfire threw back his head and laughed, his mirth resonating   
through the entire room. "Now, little queen, you show only your   
own ignorance of what you face." In a single stride, he was inches   
from her with a hand resting lightly on her shoulder and his eyes   
blazing into hers. "I am death, destruction, chaos, havoc. I am more   
powerful than any enemy you have ever known, and I know you better   
even then your allies. You have no conception." Suddenly he was no   
longer in front of her, standing instead beside a bookshelf that   
Chibi-Usa had used for her studies. "And your daughter knows far   
better than you what it is you struggle against."  
  
Serenity staggered back again, feeling the hard ledge of the window  
pressing into her lower back, terror suddenly gripping her heart   
full force, memories of her daughter's face, contorted in hateful   
amusement flashing across her mind. "What have you done to her?"  
  
Reignfire's eyes held hers, empty and cold. "I? I've done nothing   
to her, little queen. She has chosen her own path; I have merely   
provided her the tools to do so."  
  
"You're lying!" Serenity cried out, her hands gripping the windowsill   
tightly. "She wouldn't choose that path. Not of her own free will!"  
  
Reignfire's mind stabbed out, and she found herself confronted by   
dozens of images: Chibi-Usa's training, her torture of the man in   
the throne room, amusements so sadistic as to defy description carried   
out with a zeal that could only originate from within.  
  
Serenity suddenly felt her chest contracting, finding it a struggle to  
draw a breath, closing her eyes, trying to shut out the images Reignfire  
threw at her, only to find them still there, even in the darkness. "No..  
Gods NO!" Serenity screamed, the moon sigil on her forehead flaring to   
life, blue eyes snapping open, shimmering with tears. "That's not my   
little girl..." She whispered, gasping for air. "That's not her mind!   
That's not her heart! That's not her soul! That's ... That's a shell..."   
Serenity's words trailed off, her heart aching with indescribable pain.   
"That's not my daughter."  
  
Reignfire's eyes shimmered with quiet triumph. "I'm sure she will be   
overjoyed to hear you say so."  
  
Reignfire's words drew Serenity back from the brink of losing it like   
a slap across the face. Her eyes suddenly fixed on him, the blue orbs   
not quite as bright as they had been moments ago. Fighting to regain   
control of her breathing, Serenity's hands clasped into tight fists   
at her side. When she felt able to speak again, her voice was flat   
and cold. "You may have twisted her mind beyond recognition, but I   
WILL get my daughter back. I WILL find a way to bring her back to me.   
Back to the light. Back to the path that you've torn her away from.   
I will heal her ... even if I must die trying."   
  
Reignfire slipped towards the door, laughing softly. "Oh, little queen,   
you're not going to die yet. Not until I've torn your petty little   
kingdom to shreds around you."   
  
A blast of golden energy from the entrance tore through the shadows and   
cut him off, spattering hard against a suddenly summoned shield. King   
Endymion stalked into the room ablaze with light, golden power streaming   
around the head of his staff like a burning torch. "I think not. This is   
our city, and no petty tyrant is going to tear it or our daughter from us."   
Serenity felt Endymion's presence even before the blast tore into the room.   
She let out a gasp as it collided with the shield, wincing at the explosion.   
Suddenly the haze that had surrounded her lifted as she stood straighter,   
taking a step toward Reignfire.  
  
"When this is all done ... When you're nothing more than a horrid nightmare,"   
Serenity's voice rose, a soft silver glow enveloping her. "My city will be   
standing, and my daughter will be back where she belongs .. I promise you   
that."  
  
Reignfire laughed, voice mocking. "I wouldn't make that promise, little   
queen. We'd hate for you to start being unable to keep them."  
  
Golden energy slammed hard into Reignfire's shield again, and the black   
clad man turned slowly to face the man who continued to pound away at   
him. "King Endymion, didn't anyone ever teach you that some things aren't   
best solved by persistence?"  
  
A blaze of blue fire erupted from Reignfire's hands, and the sheer force   
of the blast was enough to throw Endymion hard into the opposite wall even   
as his shield absorbed most of the blast and reflected it onto the burning   
toys beside him.  
  
"Endymion!" Serenity cried, her eyes moving from Endymion to Reignfire. "Get   
OUT!" She screamed, her voice echoing off the walls, a pulse of silvery-white   
light hurling toward him; a blinding flash filling the room as it struck home.  
  
Silver energy pulsed over the dark magic shield, shivering it but not penetrating.  
Reignfire's laughter echoed in the room. "I will go when I please, Serenity. Will  
you try to force me?"  
  
Serenity's eyes narrowed, the crystal rising slowly between her outstretched   
palms. "I will not have to, Reignfire. This is not your place. You are not   
welcomed within this palace, within this city. You do not belong. I will ask   
once more. Leave, or so help me I will destroy you where you stand."  
  
Reignfire smiled, eyes a blazing challenge. "I think you underestimate me,   
dear queen.  
  
Endymion rolled to his knees, struggling to re-orient himself as the world  
spun steadily. 'What in the seven hells?"  
  
"Endymion....?" Serenity' caught his staggered movements, her gaze falling   
upon his face.   
  
Serenity caught Endymion's movement out of the corner of her eye, and she  
slowly turned her head to look him. 'Love?' She ventured, seeing the   
confusing on his face.  
  
Almost casually, Reignfire made a contemptuous gesture toward Endymion   
that lifted him into the air and threw him hard against the wall. "Pathetic.   
I can tell who depends on whom for protection in this family."  
  
Serenity felt something within her snap as her lover's body was flung once   
more into the wall like nothing more than a rag doll. "NO!" Blue eyes blazed   
to life with a fire unlike anything ever seen within their depths. It burned   
bright and it burned hot, and worst of all, there was something akin to hatred   
within the fiery gaze. "Leave this place NOW!" Serenity called, the silver   
crystal blazing to life in her hands as she called forth its power. "And do   
not return." With that, an incinerating blast of white-hot silver crystal   
energy shot toward Reignfire, engulfing him completely.  
  
Silver energy pulsed in a whirling ball, blazing out to shatter the wall   
behind where Reignfire had stood and setting the very crystal itself aflame   
with the fury of its heat. The energy went on and on and on and on, burning   
everything it touched into oblivion until it finally faded to nothing.  
  
Breathing hard, Serenity's eyes opened once more, the fire within them   
having burned itself out just as quickly as it had arisen.  
  
Slowly a dark form took shape among the wreckage, still standing exactly   
as he had been before. Red eyes glowed with quiet amusement as he lifted   
a hand towards her and laughed softly. "A very impressive little light   
show, Serenity."  
  
The Queen felt the crystal return to the brooch, and she staggered back   
as if struck by a blow as Reignfire's voice rose. "You can't still be   
alive...." She whispered, staring at him in utter, horrified disbelief.   
'The crystal .. I used the crystal..' she told herself, trying to force   
what had to be a figment of her imagination to disappear. "You can't be...!"  
  
Reignfire threw back his head and laughed mockingly, slowly gliding   
across the space between them. "Can't I?"  
  
Serenity staggered back another step, feeling the world around her   
tilt dangerously, threatening to throw her to the floor. Closing her   
eyes tightly, she struggled to regain control, tried to regain the   
precious energy she'd expended ... in vain. "What are you...?" She   
hissed, falling back into the wall, wincing as the sharp corner of   
the windowsill dug into her thigh. "What the hell are you?" She   
demanded once again, feeling fear taking hold of her heart and mind   
as she peered into the hellish depths that were his eyes.  
  
Red eyes burned down into her soul with overwhelming power. "Wouldn't   
you like to know?" Almost casually, he reached out and touched her   
forehead. Images exploded in her mind, visions of worlds slowly torn   
apart with the relentless efficiency that was becoming all too familiar.   
Dying peoples, collapsing cities, corruption beyond description, and in   
the center of the storm a single dark figure with glowing red eyes.  
  
'Gods no...' Serenity cried silently, her body suddenly frozen beneath   
the monster's acidic touch, her mind at his mercy. 'No...' Tears shimmered   
and then began to fall from slowly darkening sapphire eyes, streaking down   
pale cheeks as she witnessed what evil Reignfire was capable of; and for the   
first time, things seemed to grow dark around and within her. 'So strong...'  
  
Beside the glowing red eyes, a second face rose in her mind. Pale porcelain   
skin, surrounded by a cascade of soft, pink hair slowly came into focus.   
Once bright, loving eyes; eyes that had looked at the world with both   
child-like wonder and a wisdom that could only have been gained by   
centuries of life, now met Serenity's. The light was gone, replaced   
with a darkness unimagined, a darkness into which Serenity could feel   
her mind, her heart, her very soul sinking into.  
  
'Chibi-Usa....' She gasped, tears falling from her eyes like rain, her   
entire body trembling in fear and despair.  
  
Reignfire's voice in her mind was ice cold. 'She is mine, as your world   
will be. It is inevitable.' With a final mental impression of a   
devastated Crystal Tokyo, Reignfire broke contact and strolled casually   
towards the door.  
  
Serenity felt him release her and suddenly she saw the floor rushing up  
to meet her as she collapsed to her knees, staring blankly at Reignfire  
as he move toward the door. Suddenly she heard her voice rise once  
more, though she did not recognize the sound as her own, but rather that   
of someone much older, much wiser, much more powerful. "Even if Crystal   
Tokyo no longer stands, even if I lay dying at your feet, the fates will   
find a way to right the paths. They will find a way to erase your mark   
and make sure you're remembered as nothing more than a nightmare. The   
darkness cannot overpower the light, it can only neutralize it until the   
light once again blazes brightly, shoving the blackness back to the shadows   
where it belongs. You may win the battle, Reignfire ... But you cannot win   
the war."  
  
Reignfire spun towards her, eyes burning with the echoes of a debate so   
ancient that no other still living remembered it but he. "Think so if   
you like, Serenity. Perhaps you will enjoy the cold comfort of that   
belief when you fall, dying among the ashes of your people." The   
universe seemed to warp around him, and he was gone.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
The air was filled with the resounding echoes of explosions as the   
senshi battled for their city and for their lives. There was a crackle   
of electricity as Jupiter hurled another attack at the trio, her eyes   
fixing on the blonde that glared at her with amused distaste. Even as   
she released the attack, the ground suddenly buckled beneath her feet,   
sending her falling to the ground, landing awkwardly on an already   
bruised shoulder.  
  
"Shimatta!" She cursed, getting to one knee, emerald eyes turning to   
where the blast had come, finding nothing there. Catching her breath,   
she took a moment to look over her fellow warriors. They were holding out   
well, combined determination and individual issues driving each to extremes   
never before reached. True, they were facing some of the strongest enemies   
they'd ever experienced, but they were also fighting with more power and   
determination than ever before.  
  
Just then she heard movement behind her, and Jupiter rolled out of   
the way just seconds before an attack slammed into the ground to her   
right. Her eyes snapped around and found Dameon standing just a few   
feet away, staring down at her.  
  
"Don't you know how to fight fair?" She hissed, getting quickly to   
her feet, facing off with the man. "Or didn't they teach you that in   
what ever hellhole you crawled out of?"  
  
Dameon sneered, rainbow energy pulsing around him as he sent a spray   
of fire at her feet. "Fairness isn't a terribly efficient way to fight,   
Senshi." His eyes sparkled as he wove a mental web of distraction and   
desire around several of the female Senshi. "That might explain why you   
can't seem to pull off a victory."  
  
Jupiter jumped back, struggling as she suddenly felt her mind fog over.   
"I don't think so!" She hissed, and with that, launched a volley of   
lightning bolts at him, each strong enough to take down a building   
in a single blow. "No mind games!" She hissed, using the attacks as   
cover and rushing toward him, prepared to take him down with a blow to the  
knees.  
  
Dameon dodged back, keeping the area between them hot with energy bolts.   
"Why not, Senshi? Can't handle the heat?" Lips twisting in a deliberate   
sneer, he grabbed hold of her mind and sent her hormones rocketing   
straight through the roof with all the power he could muster.  
  
Jupiter suddenly felt her mind cloud over completely, coherent thought   
suddenly taking a back seat to more primal urges. Falling to her knees,   
she grabbed her head, trying to force the images that rose out. 'This is   
not the time for this!' She screamed to herself, fantasies long since   
forgotten suddenly surging to the front of her mind, blocking out nearly   
everything else.  
  
Across the battlefield, the other senshi were not much better off. As   
if on cue, the other two minions struck out, a whirlwind of conflicting   
and overwhelming emotions swirling about the Senshi, bringing most of   
them to their knees. Even Sailor Pluto found herself crouching down,   
fighting off the sudden urge to lash out at the person nearest her,   
magenta eyes refusing to focus on the dark-haired head of Sailor Saturn   
that stood just feet from her.  
  
'Can't give in...' She gasped, needing all her concentration to fight   
the battle with her own mind, leaving none for the battle outside.  
  
Dameon stepped forward towards Jupiter, eyes cold. "So much for fair."   
Extending a hand, he focused his power and readied a blast that would   
part the Senshi from her comrades permanently.  
  
Suddenly the image of Rod's face filled her mind, the image of him   
being slammed through the wall of ice, the sickening sound as his   
body hit. 'I can't let him down...' She gritted her teeth, pooling   
all her power to push Dameon's influence clear of her mind. Then, and   
instant later, she was surrounded by a ball of crackling electricity   
which pulsed out from her, striking Dameon from nearly point-blank range.   
  
Dameon smashed to the ground, the energy shield around him the only   
thing that saved him from instant incineration. Struggling to his knees,   
he started to pull himself back together.  
  
"Stay down," Jupiter said, rising slowly to her knees, emerald green eye   
fixed on Dameon as he attempted to rise once more. When she saw he was   
almost to his feet again, and felt the sudden rise of energy around him,   
Jupiter realized she had no other choice. Crossing her arms before her,   
she launched a final, intense ball of energy at Dameon, knowing it would   
be the last thing he saw before he died.  
  
"No." The simple word cut through the chaotic symphony of blasts that   
filled the air, and a sudden flare of light flared like a super nova   
as Jupiter's attack came into contact with an impossibly strong shield.   
The ground shook and the brunette once again found herself on the ground,   
shaking her head, scrambling to her knees as quickly as possible.   
  
"What the ..." Jupiter's eyes rose slowly, the figure of a black and silver  
clad warrior revealing itself to her. "Who are ..?" The question died in her  
throat as she found herself looking into the face of the Princess.  
  
"Miss me?" Chibi-Usa's voice rang with unbridled contempt and disgust as  
she looked over the senshi that littered the battlegrounds. "Pathetic..."  
She whispered, shaking her head slowly. "Utterly pathetic."  
  
Mark hit the ground hard, rolling to his feet as another blast from Veros   
almost took his head off. He turned, scanning the field, and his eyes   
locked suddenly on the figure of Chibi-Usa standing over the fallen Makoto.   
'Gods, no. Please let my eyes be wrong.' Breaking into a run, Mark began   
forcing and dodging his way across the battlefield towards the two women.  
  
A black-gloved hand rose in Mark's direction. "No." Chibi-Usa`s voice resonated   
with unseen power as she sent a blast at Mark, immobilizing him completely. "I   
don't want to play with you." With a sweep of her hand the magic swept over the   
battlegrounds, holding down the Senshi's limbs with invisible weights.   
  
"Chibi-Usa?" Saturn's strained voice floated across the distance between the   
once best friends. The pale senshi was down on one knee, the Silence Glaive   
held tightly as she leaned on it for support, her head shaking in disbelief.   
  
"I used to be known by that name," Red eyes met violet ones, filled with   
lust, anger and hatred. "Back when I was weak. When I was being blindly   
lead down a path not of my choosing; but I'VE been allowed to see the light.   
The truth. That person of which you speak no longer exists, my dear   
Hotaru-chan."   
  
The silvery blade of Saturn's staff teetered dangerously as her mind   
reeled, her heart shattering with each cold word that slipped past her   
most trusted friend's lips. "I ... I don't believe you..."   
  
"Believe what you like, dear senshi..." The pink head turned slowly,   
glowing eyes carefully regarding each fuku-clad warrior. "But if you   
must address me, you will do it using my real name. Nightfall."   
  
"Small Lady...." Setsuna whispered, rising slowly to her feet, a dome   
of the garnet orb's power freeing her from Chibi-Usa's spell. Magenta   
eyes fixed on the back of the Princess's head. Across the field she   
saw Hotaru look at her, a question in the girl's eyes. Setsuna shook   
her head slowly, not wanting Chibi-Usa to turn around.   
  
"What have they done to you, Princess?" Venus whispered, her hands   
trembling as she tried to get to her knees. "What have they done?"   
  
"They've freed me, Venus." Nightfall's gaze quickly fixed on the   
blonde haired senshi, a cruel smile on her lips. "Something you   
wouldn't know anything about."   
  
Venus let out a cry of pain as she felt herself being forced back   
down to her knees, an invisible hand pressing down on her. "Stop it!"   
  
Jupiter's eyes widened as she watched Venus grimace in pain. Emerald   
eyes turned to look up at the pink-haired woman that stood over her,   
and what she saw there utterly terrified her. In what had been loving,   
caring and warm eyes an animal lust burned. The girl spoke truth;   
Chibi-Usa was no longer the girl they'd all known. The weapon before   
them had no purpose but killing.   
  
Nightfall threw her head back in amusement as the senshi of love crumbled   
under her assault. "Now who's the one that needs protection, huh, Minako?   
Where's the mighty Sailor V now?"   
  
"Stop it!" Jupiter screamed, suddenly finding the strength to wrestle   
free of Nightfall's spell, launching herself at the woman, planning on   
knocking her to the ground.   
  
Suddenly, things seemed to move in slow motion for Setsuna, only a few   
feet behind Nightfall. She stopped when she heard Jupiter's cry, and   
she opened her mouth in warning as she watched a staff appear in   
Nightfall's waiting hand, a deadly silver blade aimed directly for   
the senshi's stomach. All she needed do was whisper a single phrase   
and the threat would be gone. All she had to do was use the power of   
her Time Staff and Jupiter would not meet up with the end of that   
blade. All she needed do was use her strongest attack on the one   
person that had loved her and brought such light into her life. Magenta   
eyes suddenly darkened, red lips moving to form the words even as Setsuna   
felt her heart shattering.   
  
"I don't think so, Puu." Suddenly things sped up again. Before the words   
could leave the Time Senshi's lips she was thrown back into a crumbling   
wall, her time staff falling to the ground as she sank to her knees. Pluto's   
vision still spun with lights when she heard the sickening sound tearing of   
flesh as Nightfall's weapon made contact with Jupiter's abdomen, slicing   
cleanly through to jut out of her back.   
  
Emerald eyes grew wide, Jupiter's mouth opening to scream in pain and   
surprise, but all that came was a low gurgling noise as blood seeped   
past her lips. White-gloved hands reached down, locking around the   
handle of the staff, her head shaking slowly.   
  
Rod screamed, collapsing to his knees like a puppet with his strings   
cut as the shock of his soulmate's wound tore through him. Shock,   
horror and despair rippled through the Senshi... and Mark kept running,   
glaive sparkling in his hands as he moved.   
  
Suddenly red eyes turned, noticing the man running toward her, glaive   
held ready to attack. "Didn't I already tell you I didn't want to play?"   
Chibi-Usa's eyes narrowed and an intense blast of black energy roared   
toward Mark, hitting him dead on and hurling him to the ground.   
  
"Why?" Makoto whispered, feeling her lungs filling with blood, the edges   
of her vision growing dark.   
  
"Because..." Nightfall yanked her blade back, watching with a cruel smile   
as Sailor Jupiter sank to her knees, blood pouring from the gaping wound.   
"Because I felt like it." There was blaze of fire within those red eyes as   
Nightfall lifted her staff and in one smooth sweep, separated Sailor   
Jupiter's head from her body.   
  
"No!" Venus screamed, falling to her hands and knees, tears filling her eyes   
as she watched her friend's body slump lifelessly to the ground.   
  
"Jupiter!" Mars gasped, feeling her stomach lurch as the brunette's head   
rolled to a stop, blind eyes seeming to stare directly at the fire Senshi.   
  
"Gods..." Uranus croaked, feeling the spell weakening. Hazel eyes looked   
at the scene with disgust, and had she the strength, she might have done   
something about it.   
  
The moment Neptune could move she dropped down at Saturn's side,   
wrapping her arms around the small girl's shoulders, aqua eyes   
fixed on the look of pleasure on the former princess's face.   
"You're a monster..."   
  
"No..." Saturn whispered, shaking her head from side to side, her glaive   
having long before fallen uselessly to the ground before her.   
  
Mercury staggered over to where Rod had fallen, her legs shaking beneath   
her. Carefully she checked his vital signs, afraid that the unimaginable   
blow he'd just been dealt had injured him far worse than any attack could   
ever have. 'Please...' She prayed, feeling his heart beat; irregular but   
present. Looking down into his face, she saw it twisted in a look of utter   
terror and pain.   
  
Across the battle field, still staring at the back of Chibi-Usa's head,   
Pluto simply knelt there, her hands trembling. She'd tried to pick up the   
Time Key, tried to use it to rise to her feet, tried to take a stand, to do   
what was needed; but she couldn't. For once in her life, the Time Senshi   
shirked her responsibility as a Senshi, her duty to protect the world from   
all forms of evil. Instead she sat there silently, while inside she screamed   
as she felt her heart being torn to shreds with each note of bitter laughter   
that rose from Nightfall's lips.   
  
Suddenly the woman turned, red eyes meeting Pluto's, regarding her silently   
for a moment. "Be sure to tell those pathetic creatures I once called my   
parents what I'VE done here, how powerful I'VE become. How poised and mature   
I'VE gotten. I'M sure my mother will be pleased." She sneered, contempt and   
sarcasm woven into each word.   
  
"Come you three..." Chibi-Usa's tone was one that demanded respect from the   
three terrors. "We're done playing." With that, she, Veros, Avarice and   
Dameon disappeared from the scene, leaving the Senshi to pick up the   
shattered pieces of their hearts, minds and souls that lay scattered among   
the rubble.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
As always, special thanks go out to all those that made this possible and who  
encouraged a very tired, frustrated author to continue on.  
  
Fallen Stars has been a year in the making, hopefully it lives up to all expectations.  
Feel free to contact me with any praise, comments, moans, groans or suggestions.   
Feedback is a good thing. ^_^  
  
Email: fallen_star715@yahoo.com  
AIM sn: FallenStar715  



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